Spicy soup for a cold day!

**luke** · 02-24-2013 01:17 PM

If you like Chinese soups like Hot and Sour, but don't want the cornstarch carbs used to thicken it, you may like this. It's cheap and easy.

Ingredients:

Two cans of low fat, low sodium chicken stock, or 3 cups of water and one packet of low salt chicken soup or 3 cups of stock you made yourself.
1 tsp of Sesame Oil
1 tbsp of Sriracha Sauce (Rootser Sauce)* (or two if you like it really spicy/garlic-y)
1 tsp of Hot Oil or Crushed chili flake (optional)
Salt

*This is required. Don't skip it. You can find it in most grocery stores nowadays near the thai/asian section.

Preparation:

Broth/Water-Soup into the pot, bring to boil.
Boil till reduced by about a third. You should have about two cups of broth.
Add Sesame Oil, Rooster sauce and salt (if needed...I use a pinch) by taste.
Add hot oil/chili flake if desired.
Stir well, serve hot.

I sip this out of a mug like tea, but it's savory and warm. You can experiment with adding bullion or concentrated chicken, but it adds a lot of salt, so leave out the pinch mentioned in the recipe. Experiment. When you're sick of sipping Crystal Light or sugar-free jello, this is a great change of flavor. Make it using your own stock for added protein!

**pieganjane** · 02-24-2013 01:34 PM

Be careful if you have already been sleeved. Before the sleeve hot pepper was my drug of choice, post sleeve one bite of hot sauce and I thought I would die.

**GA400** · 02-24-2013 02:18 PM

Luke, I am totally making this in a few days. I LOVE hot and spicy soup. I might even throw some strips of tofu and some leftover veggies from shredded pork with garlic sauce in here. Thanks for the recipe!

**lidibear** · 02-24-2013 02:27 PM

I'll have to try this. Since being sleeved I've traded fried for spicy. Mmmmmm. I haven't had a problem with spicy since 3 wks after wls. Everyone is different. I must say I'm happy about this since most of my families food is spicy. Mexican/west African.

**Munchkin** · 02-24-2013 05:54 PM

I made somthing similar the other day. I use hot sauce and chicke stock paste. Added garlic powder and pepper. The only poblem is the sodium in my broth. It was defintely low calories and warm.

**luke** · 02-24-2013 06:35 PM

Originally Posted by pieganjane

Be careful if you have already been sleeved. Before the sleeve hot pepper was my drug of choice, post sleeve one bite of hot sauce and I thought I would die.

I understand and live in fear myself that my pouch will not tolerate the spices post-op. That would be a sad thing indeed.

**Elbie** · 02-24-2013 06:37 PM

My tummy still likes it. Yum!

**Munchkin** · 02-24-2013 06:45 PM

Mine didn't like it at first. Now I can eat it again to a degree. Thank goodness. It is so boring without a little spicy hot sauce.

**GA400** · 02-24-2013 08:40 PM

Luke,

I hear you - life without spicy food would be a boring life, in my opinion. Now - if you are like me, you might be used to calming down spicy food with a beer or iced tea - this is one of the hardest things about being sleeved. I CAN"T drink with meals, it makes me very nauseous. My doctor said some people can and some people can't but he cautions everyone that you will most likely not be able to drink at the same time you eat, for a very long time. So, I still enjoy my spicy food, but I find that the smaller portions the sleeve imposes helps, and I try to have something to eat with spicy food that is sweet - carrots and blue cheese with wings for example - carrots mellow it out well. If I want spicy chili, I make sure it has some cheese and sour cream to mellow it out.

**luke** · 02-24-2013 09:38 PM

Originally Posted by GA400

carrots and blue cheese with wings for example - carrots mellow it out well. If I want spicy chili, I make sure it has some cheese and sour cream to mellow it out.

You are a man after my own taste-buds. I've been practicing not drinking with meals and it DOES make that spicy szechuan dish *way* spicier without a glass of water.

**Munchkin** · 02-26-2013 07:27 PM

Thanks for the tip to add sesame oil. So much better than without. I like to add a pinch of white pepper in mine. Yum! Made it with homemade chicken broth this time.

**GA400** · 03-06-2013 10:10 AM

Luke,

I whipped up some unjury protein chicken soup today cause it's dang cold here in North Georgia today. Then I remembered your recipe and jazzed up my protein drink with sesame oil and sriracha. Oh Yeah, this hits the spot - I had to turn the heat down cause it warmed up so well!

**luke** · 03-07-2013 12:07 PM

Glad to be of service!

**leesooim** · 03-07-2013 12:18 PM

For the first 8 months post surgery, spicy food didn't go well in my new pouch AT ALL. Pissed me off! Even Frank's Red Hot was a no go. Now I'm OK for the most part (pouch still grumbles a little, but it's not painful like it used to be), but definitely be careful as a post op with the spicy stuff lol.