For the love of Asian Soup

I absolutely love soups and I absolutely hate winter, but the combo of these two is what has made me survive all these years of brutal Michigan winters. There is something about this combo..Imagine a Cuppa soup which warms my soul and body, snuggle with a luxurious comforter over me with T.V. remote control in my hand. hmm.. let that be just a wishful thinking and let’s get on with soup…

Firstly, I make my own vegetable or chicken Broth It’s so simple and so much healthier.. For vegetable Broth, You can really use any vegetables you have either frozen or in fridge. I use onions, celery, carrots, leeks, bell peppers, spinach. Zucchini, I mean any veggie. Cut and chop ( about 2 ½ cups), wash and throw them in 10 quarts stainless steel stock pot With 7 to 8 cups of water.  Add ginger, black pepper and salt for flavor. Let it come to boiling point and then simmer for half an hour. Yield: 5 to 6 cups.

Chicken broth: 2-1/2 pounds bony chicken pieces, 2 celery ribs with leaves, cut into chunks, 2 medium carrots, cut into chunks, 2 medium onions chopped, 2 or 3 garlic pods , 2 bay leaves, 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed, 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, 8 to 10 whole peppercorns, 3 or 4 whole cloves, 2 quarts cold water

Place all ingredients in a stock pot. Slowly bring to a boil; reduce heat. Skim foam. Cover and simmer for 2 hours.  Set chicken aside until cool enough to handle. Remove meat from bones. Discard bones; save meat for another use. Strain broth, discarding vegetables and seasonings. Refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight. Skim fat from surface. Yield: about 6 cups.

Option: You can skip  above procedure  and buy low sodium store bought vegetable or Chicken Broth. ..Phew!

Other ingredients:

4 ¼ inch shiitake mushrooms sliced , ½ tsp chopped ginger , 2 or 3 chopped garlic pods., crushed red pepper, small bok choy chopped into small pieces, stems and greens separated, 3 ½ ounce Chinese wheat noodles or rice noodles. 14 ounces firm tofu drained, ¼ cup grated carrot. 6 tsp rice vinegar, 2 tsp soy sauce, 1 tsp sesame oil, ¼ cup scallions.

Meat lovers: I love shrimps in this soup but you can also choose to add beef or chicken. Chop them in cubes stir fry in 1 tbsp sesame oil, ½  tsp paste of ginger and garlic,( for chicken and beef only) salt, chili powder and clove powder.

Method:

Combine broth ginger garlic in a pot and simmer.( at this point meat lovers can add stir fried ¼ pound chicken/beef or 1 cup of stir fried  whole shrimps)  Heat oil in nonstick pan or wok, add mushrooms peppers bok choy and cook until tender. Add tofu, carrots, vinegar soy sauce, sesame oil and scallion stir for few minutes. Add it to the broth and simmer for 10 minutes. To punch up the heat add chili garlic sauce. Its quick to prepare dont just get terrified by so much of description above ..look again half of the page is just  Stock preparation...Enjoy!