Hot & Sour Soup (Instant Pot Recipe)

(Instant Pot/Vegetarian)

Makes 8 servings

Recipe from simplyvegetarian777.com 

Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen

I don’t mind chopping and measuring out ingredients if the end result is great.  This company-worthy soup is totally worth any effort.  It may seem daunting, but it’s actually very easy in the Instant Pot once the ingredients are prepped. When the ingredients are ready, the soup will come together quickly. It tastes great the next day, so perfect for guests.

Broth Ingredients

(Broth can be made in advance.)

4 cups vegetable broth

2 cups water

1 Tablespoon grated ginger

¼ cup brown rice vinegar or rice vinegar

4 Tablespoons tamari or soy sauce

1 teaspoon red chili paste or sambal oelek

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

Vegetable Ingredients

7 scallions, sliced diagonally

1 large carrot, thinly sliced or julienned

2 cups green cabbage, thinly sliced

10 button mushrooms, thinly sliced (baby bellas or shiitake mushrooms may be used)

5 oz. can of bamboo shoots, drained and thinly sliced

1 cup extra firm tofu, drained, pressed and cut into small cubes

Other Ingredients

3 Tablespoons corn starch

3 Tablespoons water

1-3 large eggs, beaten (I used 2 eggs.)

Insert the inner pot inside your Instant Pot and plug it in.  Place all the Broth Ingredients into the inner pot.  Stir well.  Close the lid and set the valve to Sealing. Pressure cook on High for 2 minutes.  Once the time goes off, use the Quick Pressure Release.  When the pin has dropped, open the lid.  The broth is now ready to use or to store for later.  Add the Vegetable Ingredients to the broth.  Stir well.  Cover with a lid.  Cook on High Sauté mode for 3 minutes.  Once the timer goes off, remove the lid and stir.  In a small bowl, combine the corn starch and 3 Tablespoons water to make a slurry.  This will thicken the soup a bit.  Add the slurry to the soup and stir well.  Drizzle the beaten eggs in a stream far above the pot.  Keep stirring the soup with a spoon or single chopstick in a stirring motion.  This will help in making the popular egg ribbon or thread in the soup.  Set the Instant Pot on High Sauté mode and cook for an additional 3 minutes. 

Now the soup is ready to serve.  You can add a garnish of more sesame oil and scallions.  You can make it more sour by adding more rice vinegar. You can make it more spicy by adding more chili paste.  You can add more vegetables of your choice, if you wish.  You can omit the eggs to make this vegan.

Nutritional Information: (1 of 8 servings) 139 calories; 8 g fat (1 sat fat; 0 trans-fat; 6 g unsaturated fat); 70 mg cholesterol; 1221 mg sodium; 3 g fiber; 4 g sugars; 8 g protein