Soy sauce, shiitake mushrooms, chicken, beef broth, sugar, rice vinegar, and cornstarch are some of the ingredients in sweet and sour soup, which is a Chinese soup. The soup can also include lemon juice, tofu, various vegetables, spices, and noodles. This soup is typically served before the main course of a meal, but it can also be consumed on its own. Sweet and sour soup is usually served hot, as is the case with most broths.
Only broth, mushrooms, sliced meat, cornstarch, sauce, sugar, and vinegar are usually used in the most basic sweet and sour soup recipes. Lemon slices are commonly used to garnish the soup, but some people prefer to add the lemon to the soup before serving. This version of the soup is simple to make at home because it only requires a few ingredients and minimal cooking time. Many people add lo mein noodles to their soup to make it more filling.
Many cooks choose to add more ingredients to the broth if the soup will be served as a main course. Heartier versions of sweet and sour soup often include chopped onion, ginger, tofu, flour, carrots, barley malt, snow peas, baby corn, and udon noodles. Spices and toasted sesame seeds can be added as well. Although this type of soup is typically served hot, it can also be served chilled during the summer months.
Green pepper, hot sauce, minced garlic, jalapeno peppers, and chili paste are commonly used in spicier versions of the soup. Tofu and vegetable bouillon are commonly used in vegetarian soups in place of chicken breast and beef broth. Cabbage can also be added to a sweet and sour soup, but this is more common in Jewish-style soups than Chinese-style soups.
When the vegetables in the soup are consumed on a regular basis, they provide numerous health benefits. Many essential vitamins and minerals are found in baby corn, carrots, and snow peas, which are all beneficial to one’s health and well-being. Mushrooms are high in amino acids and proteins, which are beneficial to the body in a variety of ways and can help lower cholesterol. Furthermore, replacing meat with tofu reduces the amount of fat in the soup. However, because this soup is high in sodium, those who consume it should keep an eye on their salt intake.