This soup may not be the prettiest one you could make, but it is really, really tasty. It’s also perfect for a cold winter night when you need something warm and comforting.

I’ll be honest – I don’t love the flavor of seaweed. It is very nutritious, however, so I try to get it into our meals whenever I can. Frying the seaweed gives it a nice crunch, but it still maintains a strong “sea” flavor after it is cooked. Don’t taste the dulse chips and be alarmed by it. Even if you don’t like the flavor of seaweed, try adding a very small amount to your soup bowl and then taste it. If you can’t taste it add just a tiny bit more. You’ll still get the trace nutrients from the dulse without having to taste the seaweed flavor.

A handful of dulse. It has a beautiful brick-red color.

I have never actually eaten hot & sour soup at a restaurant before. I came across a few different versions of recipes for this soup and decided the basic ingredients sounded tasty, so I put together my own version. It is quite spicy, but not all that sour. Not knowing what an “authentic” hot & sour soup tastes like this may or may not taste like what you would eat at a chinese restaurant.

If you are a broth person, like I am, you will love this soup. I could have just skimmed out the broth and drank it from a mug all night long. If you like spicy foods, you will love this soup as well. Either way, it is delicious and I highly recommend it for the cold evenings of winter.

Dulse Chips

2 handfuls of dulse seaweed
coconut oil for frying

Heat a small skillet over medium low heat. Add coconut oil. Add one handful of seaweed to the oil. Stir to coat. Cook it for about 3 minutes, turning occasionally, until it is brown, but not black (burnt). Transfer to a plate and start the second batch. Set aside until soup is ready.

Hot & Sour Chicken and Cabbage Soup

Recipe notes:

• This soup is quite spicy when finished. If you want to play it safe, add less pepper flakes and black pepper, taste it after it simmers and add more to taste.
• Other additions to this soup could include bean sprouts, cilantro or parsley.
• To garnish soup simply crunch up the dulse chips over your soup bowl.
• I served this with a pot of brown rice to cut the spice down a bit for my toddler. Egg rolls or vegetable fried rice would be another nice accompaniment.
• You could also use cooked chicken meat from a previous roasted chicken. Simply skip the browning step and add it with the stock/water.
  
• Finally, this looks like a lot of ingredients, but it comes together very quickly.
  

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite size pieces
1 Tablespoon sesame or coconut oil
1/2 large yellow onion, sliced thin
3 celery stalks, sliced thin
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup soy sauce (I used reduced sodium version)
10 c. chicken stock or combination of chicken stock & water (I used 1/2 water, 1/2 stock)
3/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
12-15 grinds of black pepper
1 Tablespoon fish sauce
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice (could also use lemongrass, but I didn’t have any)
1/2 large head of cabbage, sliced thinly
salt to taste
2 eggs, beaten

In a large pot heat oil over medium heat. Add chicken, celery and onions. Season with salt. Cook until the chicken is brown on all sides and the vegetables have softened. Add garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add vinegar, soy sauce stock/water, pepper flakes, black pepper, fish sauce and lemon juice. Bring to a boil. Turn heat to low, cover and allow to simmer for two hours. Taste broth and add salt if needed. Add chopped sliced cabbage and cook until just tender, ~10-15 minutes. Taste again for seasoning and add more salt and or acidity if desired. When the broth tastes well seasoned, remove the pot from the heat. Slowly stir the beaten eggs into the hot soup. (The hot broth will cook the eggs if you are concerned.) Garnish with dulse chips.

See Tammy’s Recipes for more recipes and tips.