It’s no secret I love to cook. I have posted many of my favorite recipes on this site, and I jump at any opportunity to cook for family and friends. I recently had the chance to teach an ethnic cooking class this past Friday night, and I had a blast. 

I demonstrated Vietnamese spring rolls with dipping sauce, Chinese pork dumplings with dipping sauce, and Hot-Sour soup. A friend of mine demonstrated Indian food which included Indian flat bread, cilantro chutney, and curry beans. It was so good.

The only regret I have is leaving the dirty dishes in my vehicle over night. I got home late and didn’t feel like lugging everything inside. The next day my truck was VERY fragrant with a mix of sesame, ginger, and garlic.

Whewww….

What have you left in your vehicle that has made your eyes water?

I am very excited to be teaching another cooking class at the upcoming Passport to Hutchinson event in less than two weeks. (I blogged about this event here)  We are offering the class for a meager $5 so that anyone who wants to attend can afford to do so. My friend Prachee and I are going to teach Chinese and Indian dishes, help Minnesotans easily find ingredients at local grocery stores, demonstrate some unique cooking techniques, and of course, provide EVERYONE samples to taste of EVERYTHING we make!

I am waiting to hear how many people are registered for the class, as there is still time to pre-register. Therefore, I haven’t decided what to make. I’ve been thinking about traditional Chinese pork dumplings with dipping sauce. Most people aren’t aware of how good these are, as our “Americanized Chinese Food” often skips offering this traditional Chinese staple. I also thought about a demo of making egg rolls and/or spring rolls, as most people don’t make these at home unless they’re frozen and roll out of a box. Yuck! I have perfected traditional Hot Sour Soup, which is one of my favorites, but again, it can be an aquired taste and too hot for many people.

What do you think? What would be fun to demo? What things do you struggle with when making (any) ethnic foods at home? I really encourage you to try cooking ethnic foods at home. It can be a learning process, but I know my family loves Sushi night (not so much but I do), Indian night, Chinese night, Thai night, Haitian night, and the list goes on.

Hot and sour soup, also called hot and spicy soup,  is a staple in our house-odd as it may seem. It is my favorite soup, but for many it’s an acquired taste. With the exception of sodium, it is quite healthy. It has a broth and vinegar base, veggies, tofu, and lean meat with lots of heat. This soup is easy to make vegetarian, and we have done this in the past as well as made it with shrimp.

We made this for supper tonight with homemade eggrolls and Chinese dumplings. I am excited that there’s leftovers for tomorrow! As usual, I don’t use a recipe so you need to taste it as you go. This soup is by preference anyway; some like it sweeter, more sour, less vinegar, thicker, hotter or milder. I like a severe kick in my mouth, all the way down.

Amend as you see fit.

Hot Sour Soup Recipe

One box chicken stock

3 slivered chicken breasts or pork chops

1 box mushrooms (any kind) sliced

6 dried tree ear mushrooms (reconstituted)

1 can bamboo shoots

3 green onions sliced thin/small

Tofu (as much or little as you like) cubed small

4 TBLS white distilled vinegar ( I use more vinegar and taste as I go)

2 TBLS sugar

3 TBLS soy sauce

1/2 tsp white pepper (This is a critical ingredient. Do NOT use any other pepper, as it won’t taste right)

Dash of garlic powder, onion powder, ginger powder, chili paste if you have it

2 eggs, raw/scrambled

2 TBLS corn starch

1 TBLS sesame oil

1TBLS veg. oil

Brown chicken or pork in the mixed oils until cooked. Add stock and bring to a boil. Add remaining ingredients, except egg and corn starch. Cook veggies about 10 minutes and allow soup to flavor. While rolling boil, add scrambled eggs while stirring. Next, mix corn starch with a little cold water to make thickener, then add to soup. Keep tasting and adding items needed: vinegar, sugar, white pepper are the usual culprits.