Shiitake & Noodle Hot & Sour Soup

This was such a disappointment and it was so much soup that I was stuck with. It wasn't awful but just wasn't something that I wouldn't want to reach for again. The tofu just didn't do the soup any favors.

This recipe is good as a basic recipe. I want to mention that many of the reviews that indicate it was either salty or the broth was not flavorful, those folks need to evaluate what their initial vegetable or mushroom broth consisted of and how flavorful that was is how flavorful this will be. Also, yes using either crushed garlic or more srirachi helped this soup, but I found that taking a few of the dried shitake mushrooms and pulverizing them in my magic bullet to a powder and adding to the soup really made it taste wonderful. I would give this an additional star if the author went in and made allowances and suggested options.

I loved this!!! I used chicken instead of tofu, and it was still amazing!

Good stuff! I pretty well followed it, but like most things I cook, I did tweak a little. Mine was definitely hot and sour, although the chili sauce I use is mild since my kids eat this. If you want it hotter just add some rooster sauce. Next time, I'll probably use bok choy instead of regular cabbage and I don't like tofu due to how soy affects estrogen levels so I used a Quorn meat substitute. I also added diced potatoes since my daughters love that. I also didn't have corn starch and was also worried my wife wouldn't want to have to mess with all that at the end of her long day, so I did 2 TBS of corn masa at the very beginning and that worked fine. That sounds like a lot of changes but really the flavor profile comes from the vinegars, chili sauce, soy sauce and sesame oil. Good stuff!

I made this a super long time ago, but I remember it being pretty good... It was a huge amount though! It wasn't knock-your-socks-off, but it was tasty enough. :)

Exactly What I'd Hoped For I started this in the slow cooker, but ended up moving it all to the Dutch oven because my slow cooker was just too small. (It's a 5.5 qt slow cooker, the Dutch oven is 7 qt.) You'll definitely need at least the 6 qt. slow cooker the recipe calls for. I was pretty happy my Dutch oven was 7 qt. for this one. We had never tried tofu in our house, so this was a first to us. It was fantastic, and will get made a lot. After adding everything to the Dutch oven, I simmered it for about an hour, (kept checking it for flavor) then added the sesame oil mixture, and finally the noodles. We couldn't ask for anymore from this recipe. The flavors were incredible, and we loved the spice from the Sriracha. Everything was a perfect blend. It's so filling too! Very grateful to have this one in my arsenal. Thanks Eating Well! Pros: Flavors Cons: Need a pretty big slow cooker

Exactly What I'd Hoped For I started this in the slow cooker, but ended up moving it all to the Dutch oven because my slow cooker was just too small. (It's a 5.5 qt slow cooker, the Dutch oven is 7 qt.) You'll definitely need at least the 6 qt. slow cooker the recipe calls for. I was pretty happy my Dutch oven was 7 qt. for this one. We had never tried tofu in our house, so this was a first to us. It was fantastic, and will get made a lot. After adding everything to the Dutch oven, I simmered it for about an hour, (kept checking it for flavor) then added the sesame oil mixture, and finally the noodles. We couldn't ask for anymore from this recipe. The flavors were incredible, and we loved the spice from the Sriracha. Everything was a perfect blend. It's so filling too! Very grateful to have this one in my arsenal. Thanks Eating Well! Pros: Flavors Cons: Need a pretty big slow cooker