Buddhist Sour Soup Recipes

Steps:

• Tomato Soup: In a saucepan, heat oil. Sweat onions, ginger, garlic, and green onions until glossy, about 1 to 2 minutes. Add lime leaf and lemongrass. Continue to sweat another minute. Add the tomatoes, and tomato paste, and season with salt, pepper, and sugar. Bring to a boil and lower to a simmer. Cook for 10 minutes. Remove the lime leaf and lemongrass. Transfer to a blender, add butter, and chile oil, and process to a puree. Strain through a chinois and chill over a bowl of ice. Reserve.
• To make the Pea Soup: In a saucepan, heat oil. Sweat onions, ginger, garlic, and green onions until glossy, about 1 to 2 minutes. Add Thai basil and coconut milk. Bring to a boil, lower to a simmer, and add peas. Season with salt, pepper, and sugar. Simmer for 5 minutes. Remove Thai basil. Transfer to a blender, add butter, and process to a puree. Strain through a chinois and chill over a bowl of ice.
• To prepare the Lobster Salad: In a bowl, combine the lobster meat, mango, and Thai basil. Add 1/4 cup of Asian vinaigrette and season with salt and pepper. Chill until ready to serve.
• To serve: Place a 2-inch mold ring in center of soup plate. Spoon the lobster salad inside the ring. Press to mold. Ladle the soups on each side of ring. Decorate soup by placing a spoonful of contrasting soups over plated soups. In a bowl, mix the herbs and micro greens with Asian Vinaigrette. Season with salt and pepper. Top lobster salad with micro green mixture and a slice of fried lotus root. Carefully remove ring. Serve immediately.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, sesame oil, peanut oil, soy sauce, and lemon juice. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Reserve until ready to use.

Steps:

• Heat the sesame oil in a large saucepan, over medium heat. Add the ginger and garlic and saute until you can smell the aroma of the garlic, about 20 seconds. Add the broth to the saucepan with the water, vinegar, soy sauce, sugar and mushrooms. Cover and bring the liquid to a boil over high heat. Reduce to a simmer and cook over moderate heat until the mushrooms are tender, about 5 minutes. Add the bamboo shoots and chicken to the broth, bring the liquid back to a simmer and cook, over low heat until the chicken is cooked through. Add the peas and simmer 3 minutes longer or until heated through. Season to taste with salt and serve the hot sauce on the side if you wish.