Hot & Sour Soup

I have a new found love for sweet & sour soup. I never got to enjoy it when I went out to eat because it always had fish sauce or meat in it but I recently tried my first vegan bowl of this wonderful soup at a Vietnamese restaurant locally. It was amazing and I decided that I was going to try and duplicate it. So I went to the Oriental market to get some tips. He told me that tamarind paste is the secret to any hot & sour soup. So I bought some & brought it home.

1/4 c tamarind paste
1 T ground chili paste
3 c. water
2 T sugar
1 can pineapple chunks with some juice
1 sliced onion
2 stalks celery
2 chopped tomatoes or halved cherry tomatoes
6-8 mushrooms sliced
1/2 package med-firm tofu cubed
A few bok choy leaves sliced
Lime juice to taste
Bean sprouts (optional)
Rice vermicelli noodles (optional)

In a small bowl, pour 1 c. boiling water over the tamarind pulp and soak for 30 minutes. Squeeze the pulp through a light cloth to extract liquid and remove any rocks or impurities. Boil enough water to cover vermicelli noodles & pour over top. Set aside.

In a pan fry tofu in 2 just enough oil to coat in a cast iron or non stick pan. Once cooked set aside.

In a separate pan sauté the garlic and chili paste in a little water for about 30 seconds. Mix water, broth, sugar, and tamarind juice. Add soy sauce to pan and then add broth mixture bringing to a simmer. Reduce heat and add pineapple, onion, celery, tomatoes, mushrooms, baby corn, tofu, and bok choy. Simmer for just a couple of minutes.

Remove from heat, stir in lime juice and noodles and serve.

You can also add bean sprouts or cilantro when serving!

This can keep for a few days in the fridge as a starter to a meal, a lunch or a pick me up!