Recipe Wednesday - Back to Reality! Shiitake Hot & Sour Soup

V-Day is behind us once again and time to focus on healthy eating again, at least for me.  Yep, I fell off the wagon hard a couple of times.  Chocolate is good for you, but…not half the plate of dark truffles sitting in the fridge.  There really was no need to keep testing for firmness by tasting, now was there? 

Sharing a soup recipe a chef guest on Dr. Oz said he eats every day during the winter.  He feels all the good stuff in it helps him avoid colds and flu.  That said he made no promise it works for everyone, only that since he started eating it he hasn’t had a cold.  I decided to give it a try and made a batch last week.  Went by the recipe the first time around, but doctored the leftovers.  Here you have the original version and I’ll share my tweaks at the end. 

Shiitake Hot and Sour Soup

Ingredients

Serves 4

1 tbsp grapeseed oil

1 jalapeño, minced with seeds

1 tbsp minced ginger

1 tbsp minced garlic

2 bunches scallions, green and white parts sliced, 2 tbsp greens reserved

1 lb shiitakes, stems removed and tops 1/4-in sliced

2 1/2 quarts chicken stock or low-sodium chicken broth

2 tbsp naturally brewed soy sauce

Juice and zest of 2 lemons

1 block silken tofu, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

2 cups shredded carrots

Freshly cracked black pepper

Directions

In a stockpot over medium-high heat, add oil and swirl to coat the bottom. Add jalapeño, ginger, garlic and scallions. Sauté until aromatic, about a minute. Add shiitakes and sauté 2 minutes, until softened.

Add stock and soy sauce, bring to a simmer and reduce by 20%, about 5 minutes. Add lemon juice, tofu and carrots and cook gently for 2 more minutes to heat tofu through. Season with black pepper.

Ladle soup into serving bowls and garnish with reserved scallion greens and lemon zest.

MY TWEAKS 

Too much lemon for our tastes so didn’t add the lemon zest to the serving bowls.  Before I reheated the soup I increased the ginger, garlic and soy sauce.  I also added a couple teaspoons of Asian chili sauce that I use in stir-fry.  The tweaked version worked for us and I’m making it again next week.  Not sure it will prevent colds, but its dang tasty after I played with it to fit our likes.