Fast Hot and Sour Noodle Soup

When one is sequestered in their home with three Italian Greyhounds (Iggies), and it’s October and they need comfort food, one makes Fast Hot and Sour Noodle Soup.

Ching-He Huang and her show, “Chinese Made Easy” (on cookingchanneltv.com), has long taunted me with her healthy Chinese cooking and when I saw her Noodle and Dim Sum show, I knew I’d have to make this soup. I needed heat, I needed umami, and I needed to feel full but with the fewest calories possible.

Ching-He to the rescue! I put the pups down for a nap …

(clockwise from top – Scout, Marcello and Toby)

… then hauled out the 3-POUND BAG OF JAPANESE NOODLES my friend Michael brought me on his recent trip out to the southwest. He brought them all the way from Chicago – in his luggage. Michael understands I can’t just run to the market downtown and pick up my favorite international staples. But a three pound bag? Seriously? Of course! I love you for that, Michael. Thanks!

I’d like to do some chatting about the recipe as we go along, and ingredients will be thrown about willy-nilly (and who doesn’t love a bit of willy-nilly every now and then?) but for the control freaks, it will appear in it’s entirety at the end of the blog. Whew, right?

Ching-he’s recipe makes two hearty helpings of soup … so of course I doubled it because I knew I’d want to slurp this soup all week. I know me TOO well. Two helpings, yeah right – snort!

The ingredients for the soup base are as follows, and I’ll share with you any adjustments I made to Ching-he’s recommendations. I really only substituted fresh veggies I had on hand. I don’t tinker much with Ching-he’s spices and condiments. She reigns supreme when it comes to authentic Chinese cooking so I don’t mess with her in that regard.

And you shouldn’t, either.

Soup Base:

1 tablespoon groundnut oil (peanut)

1 (1-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced

2 handfuls fresh shiitake mushrooms, sliced or 1 small handful dried Chinese mushrooms, reconstituted and sliced (here I used oyster mushrooms because I found a lovely bunch at the Asian market in Phoenix last week)

1 red chile, seeded and finely chopped

1 tablespoon Shaohsing rice wine or dry sherry

3 cups vegetable stock, hot

1 (8 ounce) can bamboo shoots, drained and rinsed

1 tablespoon dark soy sauce

1 tablespoon light soy sauce

1 tablespoon black rice vinegar (recommended: Chinkiang) or balsamic vinegar

Pinch freshly cracked white pepper

1 tablespoon cornstarch, blended with 2 tablespoons cold water (cornstarch slurry)
It’s the black rice vinegar that gives this tangy soup it’s “sour” quality, and of course the chile is what gives it heat. I love a warm dish, so I doubled the amount of red chile she calls for.

To make the soup base:

Heat a wok over high heat, add the oil, and stir-fry the ginger and mushrooms until softened. Add the chile, Shaohsing rice wine, hot vegetable stock, bamboo shoots, soy sauces, black rice vinegar and the white pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil, thicken with the cornstarch slurry and set aside over low heat.

Because I doubled this recipe, I knew it wouldn’t all fit in my wok, big as it is, so I used a dutch oven.

Now for the remainder of the soup ingredients and how to put the whole thing together …

For service

7 ounces cooked egg noodles (here I used thin Japanese noodles because, well, I’ve got three pounds of it! Want to shave off even more calories/points? Go with rice noodles instead of egg noodles.)

2 small handfuls bean sprouts

8 fresh baby corns, sliced (I couldn’t find these in town, so I substituted by adding more mushrooms)

1 spring onion, sliced

3 1/2 ounces cooked chicken, shredded (feel free to leave this out to go vegetarian)

In bowls or plastic pots, layer some of the cooked egg noodles (3.5 oz) with the raw bean sprouts, raw sliced baby corn, and spring onions. Top everything with the shredded chicken, and then spoon plenty of the soup base over the ingredients. Give the noodle pot or bowl a good stir, and serve immediately.

So healthy, so filling, and so good for you! Whatever it is you’re craving, this soup provides major satisfaction. I think I’ll have another bowl tonight!

Here’s the complete recipe all together

Fast Hot and Sour Noodle Soup

Soup Base:

1 tablespoon groundnut oil (peanut)

1 (1-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced

2 handfuls fresh shiitake mushrooms, sliced or 1 small handful dried Chinese mushrooms, reconstituted and sliced (here I used oyster mushrooms because I found a lovely bunch at the Asian market in Phoenix last week)

1 red chile, seeded and finely chopped

1 tablespoon Shaohsing rice wine or dry sherry

3 cups vegetable stock, hot

1 (8 ounce) can bamboo shoots, drained and rinsed

1 tablespoon dark soy sauce

1 tablespoon light soy sauce

1 tablespoon black rice vinegar (recommended: Chinkiang) or balsamic vinegar

Pinch freshly cracked white pepper

1 tablespoon cornstarch, blended with 2 tablespoons cold water (cornstarch slurry)

For service

7 ounces cooked egg noodles (here I used thin Japanese noodles because, well, I’ve got three pounds of it!)

2 small handfuls bean sprouts

8 fresh baby corns, sliced (I couldn’t find these in town, so I substituted by adding more mushrooms)

1 spring onion, sliced

3 1/2 ounces cooked chicken, shredded (feel free to leave this out to go vegetarian)

To make the soup base:

Heat a wok over high heat, add the oil, and stir-fry the ginger and mushrooms until softened. Add the chile, Shaohsing rice wine, hot vegetable stock, bamboo shoots, soy sauces, black rice vinegar and the white pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil, thicken with the cornstarch slurry and set aside over low heat.

Assembly:

In bowls or plastic pots, layer some of the cooked egg noodles (3.5 oz) with the raw bean sprouts, raw sliced baby corn, and spring onions. Top everything with the shredded chicken, and then spoon plenty of the soup base over the ingredients. Give the noodle pot or bowl a good stir, and serve immediately.