Ingredients

1. Oil – 2 tbsp
2. Chilli garlic sauce (Maggi brand) – 3/4 tbsp
3. Dark Soya sauce – 2 1/2 tbsp
4. Rice vinegar – 2 tbsp
5. Ajinomoto or MSG – 1/2 tsp
6. Black or white pepper powder – 1/2 tsp
7. Sesame oil – 1 tsp
8. Vegetable Stock – 2 cups
9. Salt - as per taste

Vegetables

10. Garlic – 2 1/2 tsp
11. Ginger – 1 1/2 tsp
12. Green chilli (chopped) – 1 or 1 tsp
13. Cabbage – 3 tbsp
14. Beans – 2 tbsp
15. Green capsicum -1 tbsp
16. Mushroom - 1 or 3 tbsp
17. Carrot – 2 tbsp
18. Bamboo shoot (tin) – 2 tbsp or more
19. Vermicelli (noodles) – 1 1/2 tbsp or few
20. Spring onion (chopped) – 1
21. Corn starch – corn flour 2 tsp + water 1/2 cup

Garnishing

22. Spring onion (green leaves) – 1

Stock

23. Water – 5 cups or 1 litre
24. Onion (medium) – 1
25. Spring onion – 1
26. Carrot (medium) – 1
27. Garlic (crushed) – 3
28. Ginger – 1 (3 inch or small thumb size)
29. Black pepper corns – 1 tsp

Method

For stock

1. Cut the vegetables roughly with its skin, for ginger I just sliced with its skin, garlic I crushed with its skin.
2. Add water and all the ingredients; boil for 10 minutes on medium flame and then 30minutes on simmer, by closing the lid.
3. Switch off, strain and keep it aside. I have not added salt in this stock. But if adding chicken stock cube or vegetable stock cube or store bought stock, check for the salt content and then add salt as needed in the vegetable hot and sour soup.

For hot and sour soup

4. Chop the vegetables finely or thinly sliced, I have sliced bamboo shoots (used tin one), vermicelli or rice thin noodles (break them in to small pieces) as required. Chop spring onion white separately and green part separately, keep it ready.
5. Preheat the vessel with oil; add garlic and ginger, spring onion (white part), green chilli for few seconds till it sizzles and gets light transparent colour.
6. Add carrot, beans and cabbage sauté for 30 seconds and add all the vegetables (except green part of spring onion) with noodles, ajinomotto and pepper powder 1/4th tsp sauté for 2 minute on medium flame.
7. Add soya sauce, cook for 15 seconds.
8. Add vegetable stock and allow boiling for 3minutes on medium flame.
9. Add chilli garlic sauce, spring onion (green part) and boil for 2minutes and simmer for 5 to 6 minutes, until the vegetables and noodles are cooked and well blended is getting lightly thick as per your consistency. You can see in the picture.
10. Add sesame oil 1tsp, vinegar 2tbsp, stir well.
11. Test the soup and adjust the seasoning as per your taste, check weather salt or any sauce is required.
12. At this stage add corn starch and boil for 2, the soup starts thickens or until the soup thickens and is as per your consistency and is cooked well (mix water and corn flour for the corn starch, mix well and add to the soup).
13. At this stage add vinegar more 1/2tbsp and pepper powder 1/4th tsp again very little, mix well, if needed and cook further for 2 to 3 minutes on simmer flame or can switch off, if it is as per your consistency.
14. You can see in the picture the colour of the soup with oil glaze on top.
15. Serve hot soup in a bowl and garnish with spring onions (green leaves).

Notes

1. While cooking vegetables, you can add a pinch of sugar, as I have seen few chefs add while cooking, just to adjust the taste of hot and sour, but it is optional.
2. If the soup thickens add more stock or water.
3. You can adjust the quantity of vegetables as per your taste.
4. Sometimes I add chilli oil, to make it hotter. Add few fried noodles in the end while serving , it becomes vegetable manchow soup.
5. Add salt as per taste in the end.
6. I didn’t add salt for the stock (home made) and you can add vegetable stock cube for extra flavour, which is totally optional.
7. Add vegetables as per your taste and garlic and ginger as per your taste also.
8. You can add chopped onion, tofu, cottage cheese (paneer) and other vegetables as per your taste. Refer my other soups vegetable manchow and chicken hot and sour soup and prepare it as per your taste.