Hot and Sour Chicken Soup

Every region has its own version of soup. From England’s clam chowder to the Japanese miso soup. Hot and sour chicken soup, on the other hand, is popular among the Chinese and in the last few decades, even among the Indians.

The Chinese immigrants in India adapted to the local recipes and available spices to create this spicy and flavorsome soup that we all love to have in restaurants. If you are the type that likes to take the heat up a few notches and can’t settle with just a plain chicken corn soup then this exactly what you should have.Do not forget to store some Sour Chicken soup in a water bottle from Vaya to sip through the day.

Health benefits

Chilies contain thrice as much vitamin C than oranges and chicken and plenty of protein! You can make the soup even healthier by not adding any cornflour and opting to make it a hot and sour clear soup, instead.

Ingredients

\ lb bones, skinless chicken breasts (shred into thin strips): 1

cups chicken broth: 4

cups mushrooms (sliced): 2

garlic cloves, minced: 3

slices of ginger root (peeled): 3

cup bamboo shoot (drained): 1/2

tbsp soy sauce: 2

tbsp rice vinegar: 3

tsp sesame oil: 1

tsp red pepper flakes: 1

tbsp cornflour: 2

eggs--beaten: 2

large green onions (chopped): 3

How To Make Hot and Sour Chicken Soup

1. Combine the chicken broth, bamboo shoots, mushrooms, ginger and garlic in a large sauce pan over medium-high heat.
2. Add in the soy sauce and red chili flakes and bring to a boil.
3. Let the soup simmer on low heat.
4. In another bowl, add the chicken strips along with the sesame oil and set aside.
5. In another small bowl, mix together the vinegar and cornstarch and set aside.
6. Increase the heat of soup until it reaches a boil. Add the sesame oil greased chicken in the soup.
7. Pour the beaten eggs in the soup and stir until you see thin white strands forming.
8. Follow up with cornstarch and vinegar mixture and let the soup simmer over medium heat for another 8 minutes. The soup should have a thick consistency by now.
9. Garnish with chopped green chilies and serve in a large bowl and.
10. Enjoy spicy, hot, and sour chick soup with some crackers on the side! 

Trivia

1. The color cycle of chilies and peppers first starts off as green, then turns yellow and then finally red.
2. There is a hotness scale of chili peppers called the Scovile scale.
3. There over 60 kinds of chili peppers that vary according to their region and hotness level.
4. There is a soup for almost every kind of vegetable and meat.
5. There are also red chili flavored dark chocolates and ice cream as well.
6. Chinese people consider soup an effective way to digest their food and usually take it after their main meal.

The famous classical composer Ludwig Van Beethoven is known to have said “Whoever tells a lie is not pure of heart, and such a person cannot cook a clean soup”. Apparently he loved soup a lot.