Hot and sour soup

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Hot and sour soup is a lot more appetising than the title suggests. It is a delicious noodle soup combining the heat of chillies, the slight sourness of rice wine vinegar with the salt and richness of soy sauce.

Dried egg noodles are often sold in packs containing several separate blocks or layers, usually a portion of 50g to 75g. Use one portion for the soup.

Ingredients

4 spring onions
1 clove garlic
1 chillie pepper, deseeded
4 mushrooms
1 litre chicken stock
1 tsp rice vinegar
Soy sauce to taste
70g of dried egg noodles
1 beaten egg
50g cooked chicken

Method

  1. Slice the onion, garlic and chillie, and fry gently in a little oil in a saucepan, until softened.

  2. Add the sliced mushroom and cooked chicken (chopped into small pieces) and fry a couple of minutes more.

  3. Add the chicken stock and bring up to the boil.

  4. Add the vinegar. Season to taste with soy sauce.

  5. Add the noodles and simmer until they are cooked. Different types of noodles have different cooking times, so refer to the instructions. It will normally take a few minutes.

  6. Bring the soup to a rolling boil. Slowly pour in the beaten egg while stirring vigourously with a fork. The egg will cook instantly, forming fine strands which float in the soup.

This is an excellent starter or light lunch with leftover chicken. You can also use a few chopped prawns.

This recipe is for 4 servings.