Almost Fuss Free KITCHEN SINK SOUP

After posting about my CSA box and the challenge of using the whole thing a commenter suggested an autumn hot and sour soup. Since I am highly suggestible (try me ) I decided “okay”. In addition to the bok choy and spinach from this week’s box I also found some forgotten turnips at the bottom of the crisper and had half of a butternut squash that had been peeled a week ago but passed the sniff test.

So this was a pile it all in kind of soup. I used cooking tamarind (it was the dragonfly brand which is not as thick as the smaller containers of prepared tamarind) and lime juice for the sour and some sriracha and a chopped jalapeno for the hot. I also added soy sauce and a wee bit of sugar to balance things out. It all went down like this:

1. Boil water
2. Add turnips, squash, jalapeno, sriracha, tamarind and soy sauce and let boil about 20 minutes
3. Turn heat down slightly, add chopped bok choy and spinach and simmer to desired doneness. I also added cubed tofu and the always exciting canned mock duck toward the end, along with the lime juice
4. Add sugar to taste and adjust other seasonings.
5. Serve over rice or rice noodles. Garnish with cilantro.

It all turned out pretty good. It made a lot, and was comforting on a cold night. It also put a pretty big dent in my CSA box. I still have more left than I can make before the end of MoFo, but I’m sure I can finish everything before the end of the week.

HOT SOUP!