"Low in calories but really filling," write Julian Metcalfe and Blanche Vaughan in Itsu: The Cookbook, "this is a great soup to take into the office and reheat for lunch."
Hot and Sour Soup with Pork and Noodles
Slightly adapted from Julian Metcalfe's and Blanche Vaughan's Itsu: The Cookbook, published by Mitchell Beazley.
Broth:
6-1/3 cups chicken stock
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 hot red Thai chile, sliced in half lengthwise
1 teaspoon brown sugar
juice of 1 lime
1 lemon grass stalk, finely chopped
2 tablespoons Thai fish sauce
Soup:
3-1/2 ounces mixed mushrooms (shiitake, oyster, or enoki work well)
3-1/2 ounces thin cellophane noodles, soaked in boiling water for 5 minutes, then drained
3-12 ounces ground pork
2 scallions, sliced
a small handful of cilantro, chopped
lime wedges (optional)
First make the broth. Bring the stock to a boil, then add all the other broth ingredients and simmer for a few minutes to steep. Add the mushrooms, noodles, and pork, stirring well to break up the meat, and cook for 3-4 minutes.
Serve with the scallions and cilantro sprinkled on top and, if you desire, with a wedge of lime on the side.
Serves 4.