So many of our food loves, hates and choices were developed as a child. My childhood, being extremely adventurous with food, has led me down a lifetime of food journeys and some strange food traditions, which has brought me to this blog.

 Children throughout the Unites States were raised on chicken noodle soup in times of common colds, ear infections and just plain "being sick." Ya know it is one of the quintessential comfort food of our country. I, however, was raised on Hot and Sour Soup when ill, ya know the spice and flavorful soup found in Chinese restaurants. Sure, as a child it would make my nose run, tears stream down my eyes and cough from the spice of it, but I still ate it, and for some reason, I do have memories of it making me feel better.

So last weekend I was under the weather, ya know the sore throat, stuffy head and aches that come with winter. So instead of making Chicken Noodle Soup I turned to my Mothers cure all-Hot and Sour Soup. Now I know that I am not the only one who wishes for Mom when they are sick, however, mine lives 12 hours away. The thought of cooking when you feel crappy sounds less than desirable, right? So I went on a journey to look for a Hot and Sour Soup recipe that could be made in the crock pot-homemade and easy...win/win!! And I found one!!


This recipe is obviously incredibly easy to make since you make it in the crock pot and it does have good flavor, however, in my opinion it needed a little more spice. I remember Hot and Sour Soups having a sesame flavor, so I added some sesame oil and I thought that really enhanced the recipe. It really did make me feel better, the chicken broth and soy sauce made it salty and the rice wine vinegar gave it that nice tangy taste. I just love bamboo shoots and water chestnuts and they just make me happy, and just like when I was a kid, when I found the shrimp in my soup it feels like a prize, better than Cracker Jacks in my opinion.


So in the crockpot combine the chicken broth, carrots, drained bamboo shoots, drained water chestnuts and drained mushrooms. I wasn't sure of the canned mushrooms because I definitely prefer fresh, but in this soup they work. Add the vinegar, soy sauce, sugar and crushed red pepper,  and again I could have added more pepper.


Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours.


Turn the crockpot to high. Add the cornstarch and cold water, that you already mixed together in a separate bowl. Add the frozen shrimp and tofu and cook on high for 30 minutes.


The recipe says to sprinkle the soup with cilantro, however, I used green onions because I thought that seemed a little bit more authentic, in all of my Chinese cuisine knowledge (read with sarcasm). This soup was definitely comforting and made me feel better, both physically and psychologically. And it was almost as good as having Mom.

Here is the actual recipe, with measurements and all:

4 cups chicken broth
1 cup bias sliced carrots
1 8oz can bamboo shoots, drained
1 8 oz can water chestnuts, drained
1 4 oz can sliced mushrooms, drained
3T rice vinegar
1T soy sauce
1 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
2 T cornstarch
2T cold water
8 oz frozen peeled and deveined uncooked shrimp
4 oz refrigerated water packed firm tofu, drained and cubed
2 T snipped fresh parsley or cilantro (I used green onions)

1. In a 3 1/2 qt or 4 qt slow cooker cooker combine broth, carrots, bamboo shoots, water chestnuts, mushrooms, vinegar, soy sauce, sugar and crushed red pepper.

2. Cover and cook on low heat setting for 6-8 hours or on high heat setting for 3-4 hours

3. If using a low heat setting, turn to high heat setting. In a small bowl stir together cornstarch and cold water; stir in broth mixture in slow cooker. Add frozen shrimp and tofu. Cover and cook for 30 minutes more. Sprinkle with parsley.