Hot & Sour Soup (5 P+)

Hot and sour soup is comfort food for me.  When I was a newlywed we would order Chinese food every Thursday night from a little hole-in-the-wall up the street, and their hot and sour soup was my favorite part of the meal.  When I get sick I crave the taste of that tangy, spicy soup full of weird looking veggies and tofu.  I wasn't sick last night, but I really had no energy and no desire to cook.  Unfortunately there is only one decent Chinese restaurant in town, and their hot and sour soup is tolerable at best.  I've tried making several variations, and none of them have perfectly duplicated my memory of the my hole-in-the-wall, but this is the closest I've come so far.  I serve it with chicken egg rolls.  (Chung's makes mini chicken egg rolls that are pretty good and are relatively low in WW points).  Give it a try next time you want something a little different.

5-6 shiitake mushrooms, stems removed, thinly sliced

6 cups chicken broth

3 Tbsp soy sauce

1 1/2 Tbsp chili-garlic sauce

4 1/2 Tbsp rice vinegar

1 1/2 Tsp toasted sesame oil

1 (14 oz) package firm tofu, drained and cut into cubes

1 (8 oz) can bamboo shoot, thinly sliced

4 Tbsp cornstarch

4 1/2 Tbsp water

2 egg whites, lightly beaten with 2 Tbsp water

In a medium pot combine the broth, soy sauce, chili-garlic sauce, rice vinegar, and sesame oil.  Bring to a boil.  Meanwhile, in a small skillet, cook the mushrooms over medium-high heat until they release their juices.  Once the soup boils add the mushrooms, tofu, and bamboo shoots.  Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 10-15 minutes.

Combine the cornstarch and water.  Stir in 1/4 cup of the hot soup broth, and then stir the entire mixture into the pot.  Bring back to a boil, stirring constantly, and cook for 1-2 minutes until the soup thickens.  

Remove from the heat and slowly add the egg/water mixture while stirring in a circular motion to create ribbons.  Serve immediately.

For a lighter version (2 P+) use half the tofu and just one egg white.

Serves 4

1 serving = 5 WW Points+
Adapted from the Weight Watchers Take Out Tonight cookbook