Chinese Hot and Sour Soup with Ramen

Ingredients

• 140 grams chicken thighs boneless (cut into 1/4 inch cubes)
• 300 grams tofu (chopped into 1/4 inch cubes)
• 3 shiitake mushrooms
• 4 1/4 cups water (divided)
• 1 tablespoon sunflower or any neutral cooking oil
• 1 tablespoon ginger (finely chopped)
• 2 tablespoons garlic (finely chopped)
• 1 green chilli (finely chopped)
• 3 celery sticks (finely chopped)
• 1/4 cup finely chopped spring onion whites
• 3/4 cup finely chopped carrots
• 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
• 1 teaspoon vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon white pepper powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 egg (whisked)
• 1/4 cup finely chopped spring onion greens
• 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil

Instructions

1. 1

   soak and prep mushrooms: Soak shiitake mushrooms in 1 cup of boiling water for 10 minutes till they soften. Drain the mushrooms and reserve the soaked water to be used as stock in the soup. Thinly slice the mushrooms and set aside.

2. 2

   make cornflour slurry: Mix cornstarch in ¼ cup of water to make a slurry and set aside.

3. 3

   saute aromatics: Heat oil in a wok or pot, add ginger, garlic, green chilli, celery, spring onion whites and saute on high for a few seconds till fragrant.

4. 4

   cook chicken, mushroom and veggies: Add chicken, mushrooms, carrots and saute for 2-3 minutes till the chicken turns pink.

5. 5

   add sauces and seasoning: Add light and dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, vinegar, white pepper powder, salt and saute for 1-2 minutes till the sauces boil and coat the chicken.

6. 6

   make soup: Add 3 cups of water & the reserved stock of shiitake mushrooms, bring to a boil and simmer for 5-6 minutes. Add cornstarch slurry slowly to the pot while stirring continuously. Bring the soup to a quick boil.

7. 7

   add in egg, garnish, and serve: Slowly add in the whisked egg, swirling with a ladle as you create egg ribbons in the soup. Turn off the heat. Top with spring onion greens, toasted sesame oil and serve.