Hot and Sour Shrimp Soup

Hot and Sour Shrimp Soup with Rice Noodles adapted from Food Network

I'm on fall break from school, which is glorious!  I love being lazy and cooking instead of going to classes all day every day.  So, I was asked to make a light meal for dinner this weekend and tried this soup.  This is a really yummy broth, and shrimp are really yummy, but I  hated these rice noodles. I thought they were super weird tasting and had a super weird texture (they did look pretty).  So I ended up not eating them, I'd try Soba noodles next time in this soup.
I served this with Gyoza (which my mother just loves) for an Asian inspired meal?! 


Nothing to do with Asia, but I might be traveling abroad to Italy - more on that later if I ever learn how to write for this blog. 

Ingredients 

• 8 ounces dried rice noodles (flat ones)
• 1 pound medium shrimp
• Salt
• sesame oil
• 2 quarts chicken stock
• 6 thin slices fresh ginger
• 6 garlic clovers, smashed
• 2 stalks lemongrass (bottom third only, sliced thinly on the bias) (I used jarred lemongrass)
• 5 shallots, sliced
• 2 jalapenos
• 1/4 cups of reduced sodium soy sauce
• 3 teaspoons sugar
• 1/4 cup whole fresh cilantro leaves
• juice of 1 lime 

Make soup

Soak the noodles in hot water for a half hour until soft, then drain

Peel the shrimp and save shells for alter. Coat the shrimp in sesame oil and salt and leave in fridge until later.

Bring the stock to a boil with ginger, garlic, and lemongrass then lower the heat and simmer for about 35 minutes

Add the shrimp shells and continue to simmer for another 15-20 minutes. 

Strain the stock and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and add the shallots and the grated jalapenos till they're soft - about 15 minutes 

Add soy sauce and the sugar and salt to taste

Then add the shrimp to the broth. 

Turn off the heat and add in the cilantro and lime juice.
Serve.