Like cures Like

Similia similibus curantar or like should be treated by like is an ancient principle perhaps first documented by Hippocrates. A similar belief is the Doctrine of signatures, a rather medieval interpretation of the benefits of nature and particularly herbs based on the comparison of materials with the uses they should be put to.

It being one of the hottest days of the year I thought I'd adopt some of this specious reasoning, which persists today in the guise of homeopathy, and treat myself to some Hot and Sour Soup.


Hot and Sour soup without yuba.

I suppose it's a bit like the old British habit of having a good hot cup of tea to cool yourself down on the warmer days of the year but much much spicier.

This recipe makes two good sized bowls, ideal as part of a meal serving two then. Unfortunately I find I can just drink it all up.

Ingredients:

25g seitan
1 tsp. soy sauce
1/2 tsp. sesame oil

50g sliced bamboo shoots (or use celery sliced in a similar way for a nice alternative).
2 dried Chinese black mushrooms or shitake mushrooms,reconstituted and shredded or 2 fresh white mushrooms sliced.
50g onion cut into long skinny slivers.

50g tofu, sliced or cubed OR 50g yuba, reconstituted.

600ml water
1/2 teaspoon grated or finely minced fresh root ginger.
1 whole dried red chilli

1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
2 tsps. soy sauce
3 tsps. white wine, cider or rice vinegar.
A shake of sesame oil.

2 tsps. cornflour slaked in a little cold water.
1 spring onion, green parts, sliced.
1/2 tsp. ground white pepper.

Method:

I have split the ingredients into functional groups to make it easier. Start by making small cubes of the seitan. Mix with the 1 tsp. soy sauce and 1/2 tsp. sesame oil and leave to marinate for half an hour.

Prepare the vegetables. These are suggestions but other veggies e.g. fine sliced carrot, can be substituted to taste. Dried lily buds are traditional, soak a few, trim the hard ends and add them if you like.

Put the water into a pan and set on the heat. Add the chilli pepper and the ginger and bring to a simmer.

Add the prepared vegetables to the pot. Bring back to the simmer. Add the seitan, and if using the tofu, but not the yuba.

Bring back to the simmer. Add the sugar, soy sauce, vinegar and a touch more sesame oil and taste the broth. I don't think it needs salt but you may like to adjust the balance of soy sauce and vinegar.

With the pan on the heat, stir up your slaked cornflour and add it to the pot, stirring continously. The soup will thicken slightly.

Remove from the heat and add the ground white pepper. This is the essential flavouring but it's easy to overdo it. Start slowly and keep tasting until it seems right to you

Garnish with the chopped green onion and the optional shredded yuba. Serve very hot with additional chilli oil for the totally insane.


Hot and Sour soup with yuba.

This is delicious but I have noticed that I'm adding more and more flavourings and spices in my food to get the sort of intense hit I crave. Because of this I'm going to be detoxing my tastebuds and living on boiled brown rice, lightly cooked vegetables from the garden and as few flavourings as I can manage. So no ginger, soy sauce, spices, salt, sugar or vinegar for a few days which I hope will help to bring my palate back to the sensitivity it needs.