My favorite part of going out for sushi is the miso soup. Sure, I love Rainbow Rolls and my favorite Spicy Tuna Roll, but I really love starting my meal with miso soup. The warm, salty broth meets your lips with the cool, smooth porcelain spoon.  Slurp away, you don’t even need the sushi!

Miso Soup - 2 servings

• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 2 cups water
• 2 Tbsp miso + more to taste
• 1/2 cup green onions, sliced
• 1/2 block tofu, diced into cubes
• dried wakame

Soak wakame in hot water for at least 20 minutes. Drain water, cut into bite sized pieces and set aside. (Be sure to cut around the stem)

Heat broth and water in sauce pan. Add miso and whisk until miso is dissolved.

Add wakame, green onions and tofu to broth mixture and bring to a simmer.

Taste and add more miso if needed. (I added about 1 more Tbsp)

When Justin from Marx Foods contacted me about participating in “A Chile & A Spoon” Blogger Recipe Challenge, I accepted immediately – I love a good challenge and I love anything with some spice. As I considered what to make Asian foods kept coming to mind. I am after all, still obsessed with all flavors Asian. So I turned to the Internet and determined the essential flavors and ingredients of a classic hot & sour soup.

This Chinese classic had phenomenal flavor. It is spicy from the chilies, sour from the vinegar and savory from the chicken broth and Asian sauces. The pork and meaty mushrooms take this soup from starter to meal, and it is definitely substantial enough for a meal.

Chinese Hot & Sour Soup - 4 servings

• dried chilies (I used Japones Chilies, a medium heat Asian Chile)
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 3/4 lb pork loin, thinly sliced into bite size pieces
• 8 oz exotic mushrooms (mix of baby bella, oyster and shitake), sliced
• 3 Tbsp fresh ginger, minced
• 1 can bamboo sprouts
• 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 Tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 tsp fish sauce
• 2 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 tsp cornstarch
• 2 eggs, whisked together
• green onions, thinly sliced

Soak chilies in boiling water for at least 30 minutes. Drain from water.

Heat oil in wok and when hot add pork, stirring frequently for about 3-4 minutes.

Prepare sauce: combine vinegars, fish and soy sauce and sesame oil.

Add mushrooms, ginger, bamboo sprouts and sauce to wok. Cook for another 4-5 minutes. Add chicken broth and chilies. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for about 10 minutes.

Prepare cornstarch: mix 1 tsp cornstarch with 2 tsp water. Add to soup mixture and  stir well.

Taste soup – at this point I added a touch of salt, pepper and 1 tsp of sriracha.

While stirring soup, pour eggs into wok. Divide into soup bowls.

Garnish with green onions and a chile pepper.