INGRIDIENTS:

2 oz dried shitake mushrooms

10 cups chicken stock or low sodium chicken broth

2 tablespoons vegetable oil or olive oil

1/3 cup chopped fresh ginger

2 tablespoons fresh garlic (minced)

3/4 teaspoons crushed red pepper (add more if you want hot soup)

1/2 lb chicken or tofu (cut into bit size pieces)

1/4 cup line juice

3 tablespoons cornstarch

3 tablespoons soy sauce (optional)

1 teaspoon sesame oil (optional)

2 tablespoons thinly sliced scallions

DIRECTIONS:  Combine shitake mushrooms and 3 cups of chicken stock in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer.  Remove from the heat and let stand until mushrooms are tender and broth is flavorful about 30 minutes.  Remove mushrooms and discard stems.  Thinly slice caps and reserve.  Strain broth through a fine mesh sieve and combine with the remaining chicken stock and set aside.  In a medium sauce pan heat the vegetable oil adding ginger, garlic, crushed red peppers and cook for 2 minutes (if you don’t want to use oil then just sautee in broth until soft).  add the chicken or tofu and stir to combine.  In a small bowl or cup combine the lime juice and the cornstarch and bring to a boil and stir until smooth (if you don’t want a thick soup, then leave cornstarch out) then add mixture to the hot soup and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to a simmer and cook 5 minutes.  Add soy sauce and sesame oil (optional) and serve the soup.  Garnish with some sliced scallions.

COMMEMTS:  This soup is great.  If you want hotter soup then add more red pepper flakes.  This soup freezes very well also.  Don’t forget the broth is a liquid, so if you eat the tofu and vegetables, it is then considered a meal and you are limited to the amounts you can eat. 

SERVES: This amount of soup feeds about 8 servings, takes 30 minutes to prepare and 50 minutes to cook.