My favorite soup at an Asian restaurant has always been egg drop soup! Hot and sour soup starts with egg drop soup and has lots of vegetables, vinegar and heat added. I prefer it fresh tasting with the vegetables barely cooked. My husband is a real pepper head, so I make it extra spicy.
This soup has so many umami notes, you will love it!
Kala Namak replaces the egg in the broth and mushrooms give it the meatiness. This soup is satisfying, delicious, and totally WFPB compliant!
Enjoy this with my Thai papaya salad which shares some of the same ingredients. Or just a simple green salad and Asian Peanut Ginger Dressing,
Ingredients
- 1 Stalk Celery
- 4 Cups No Chicken Broth- low sodium Imagine* or your own
- 4 CUPS Water
- 1 TBSP Kala Namak salt
- 1-2 Dried or fresh Thai chili peppers Sub 1 TSP pepper flakes
- 1/4 Cup Dried Shitake mushrooms soaked in water Sliced very thin
- 1/4 Cup Bamboo shoots Sliced thin
- 1 Carrot (Optional) Julienned
- 1/4 Cup Green cabbage (Optional) Finely shredded
- 20 Udon noodles Broken
- 1/2 PKG Extra Firm Tofu
- 3 TBSP Umeboshi plum vinegar
- 1/4 Cup Frozen Peas
- 1 Green onion
- 1/2 TSP Toasted Sesame Oil
- 2 TSP Tamari
- 1/4 TSP Black Pepper(Optional) To taste
- 1 TSP Crushed Garlic
- 1 TSP Ginger puree
- 1 TSP Thai Chili Powder Optional
- 1/2 TSP Corn starch (Optional)
- 4 Cilantro leaves Garnish
Instructions
- De-string the celery and slice into thin slices.
- Thinly slice mushrooms.
- Chop the green onion and set aside for garnish.
- If using frozen peas, rinse them and set aside. Place green peas in hot water and set aside.
- Place the broth, water, kala namak, mushrooms, celery and Thai chili pods in a saucepan on medium heat.
- Personally I prefer a broth based soup so I do not add corn starch. If you want your soup thicker, save off 1/4 cup of the water to make a corn starch slurry. You will add this in when you add the noodles.
- When broth comes to a boil add the broken udon noodles. Stir gently to keep them from sticking. After two minutes turn down the heat. Add the corn starch slurry if you want a thicker soup broth.
- Add the Umeboshi Plum vinegar, garlic and ginger to the broth.
- Thinly slice the cabbage. Use a serrated peeler to make carrot curls.
- Remove the tofu from the brine and cut into 1/2" cubes.
- Divide tofu cubes, bamboo shoots, cabbage and carrot evenly into the serving bowls.
- When the noodles are soft and broth is hot, spoon the soup evenly into the bowls. Add tamari, sesame oil and Thai chili powder to taste.
- Top each bowl with the green peas, green onion and cilantro leaves. Serve and enjoy.
Notes
This is a Snap Pea Sheep recipe.
Imagine broth is NOT 100% WFPB complaint as it has added oil. I seldom use it but will on days I don't have any broth made. You may substitute with any broth of choice.
Dashi is a simple broth made of shitake mushrooms and Kombu simmered for an hour. You may use the dashi and slice the mushrooms from the dashi for your broth and your soup. 
