Takeout to Eating In

When I was in college, I probably ate Chinese takeout twice a week. I went the night school route so at 8:30 pm, takeout was hot, fast and just plain tasty. Even though there are a number of common takeout dishes that I enjoy, I almost always ordered two pork eggrolls, pork fried rice and hot and sour soup. This was like my late-night trifecta.

After college, I moved away and I found that not all takeout hot and sour soup was the same. The soup I was used to was packed with carrots, cabbage and mushrooms and you could actually taste why they called it HOT and SOUR soup. Then, to add insult to injury, my (now) husband and I bought a house in a small town that didn’t even have a Chinese takeout place! By the time one opened in our town, I had already created my own recipe for hot and sour soup.

My recipe started with winning a gift certificate to a health food store. While I was shopping around, I picked up some kelp (seaweed). I had read a crazy long list of health benefits that come along with various seaweeds but I had no idea how I was going to prepare it. The best “beginner” idea I read was to use it in soup. I read that because it is grown in salt water, it makes a nice salty broth. My train of thought was also stuck on an Asian flavor track because I only think of seaweed being used in sushi at my favorite Hibachi place. So began the reading of about a dozen hot and sour soup recipes.

When I finally made mine, I also wanted it to be inexpensive and have ingredients that were easy to find in my small town (for the exception of the kelp that I already had). In the couple of years since the first time I made this, I have added things like bamboo shoots, peeled and julienned broccoli stems, and this time I tried shiitake mushrooms. Shiitakes add their own list of health benefits; bamboo shoots add a nice texture and julienned broccoli stems are a great way to use something that I often throw out. All of these additions or none of them, this is probably my favorite homemade soup! I should point out though, this soup is REALLY good, but it isn’t really like takeout. The main thing is that I choose not to thicken this soup like most takeout places. I just don’t find it necessary and I like it better reheated when it’s not thickened.

My only complaint, it isn’t really a meal. Adding tofu would possibly help to make this more filling but I’m not a particularly big fan of tofu, nor is it easy to find when you live in a small town. Going back to my late-night trifecta, a batch of fried rice alongside this soup rounds it out nicely! Now if I could only master eggrolls at home… Anyone have a tried and true recipe for eggrolls they want to share?

KitchenSward Hot and Sour Soup

1 large piece dried kelp

6 cups water

1 inch fresh ginger, grated

2 large clove garlic, grated

4 Tbsp low sodium soy sauce

5 Tbsp white wine or rice vinegar (or a combination of both)

1/4 – 1/2 tsp red pepper flake (depending on heat preference)

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 beef bouillon cube

8 oz baby portabellas, sliced

1 carrot, shredded

1 cup shredded cabbage

In large soup pot, simmer kelp in 6 cups water for 20 min. Remove kelp to cutting board add slice into bite-size pieces. Reserve kelp broth for soup base.

To kelp broth add ginger, garlic, soy, red pepper, black pepper, bouillon cube, and mushrooms. Simmer 10 min or so.

Add vinegar, sliced kelp, cabbage and carrots. Simmer another 10 min until cabbage is tender. Top with sliced scallions is desired.