The ancient wisdom of a hot and sour soup

I grew up in a home where what we ate changed according to season. Having a father who is a practitioner in Chinese medicine is probably the main reason for that. Sometimes the grown-ups even discussed what to prepare for dinner before heading to the fresh market for ingredients. “Today is a little windy, and slightly chilly. Let’s make a broth to boost immunity,” or “grandma is having a bit of digestive issues lately; we should steam minced pork with fermented vegetables and other easily digestible foods to help her ease the conditions.”

When there’s a young child in the home, there’ll always be some sort of emphasis on high-quality protein and enough calcium intake that would encourage their physical growth and neuro-development. I didn’t know another way till I visited other children’s homes. It was not always this way. But one thing in common, choosing what food to make, and how to prepare, always centred on the elderly and young children. Food is, at its best, a form of community care to the most vulnerable. I’ve learnt to appreciate that greatly as an adult.

In modern culture, food is often consumed for the sensory experience. However, there was always wisdom in why certain ingredient combinations are used in a dish, though we’ve been largely disconnected from this knowledge. We still can benefit from using ancient recipes and eating locally and seasonally.

For traditional Chinese medicine, consuming hot and sour flavours during warmer season serves to awaken the appetite. Especially in regions where climate conditions are often humid or hot. For example, sugar cane often grows in humid areas, and consuming its raw juice or warming it as a sweet broth along with carrots and water chestnuts can help reduce the excessive heat build-up in the body, and it can also prevent heat stroke. Sour ingredients, such as granadilla and limes, often used in Southeast Asian cooking, carry this innate wisdom of responding to the environment- hot, tropical, sometimes humid, where one often feels a lack of appetite for nourishment. Therefore, traditional recipes have been passed down for generations, incorporating these ingredients with embedded healing properties.

Hot and sour soups have various versions, differing from region to region. It was a favourite in our household, to help anyone who struggled to have an appetite. There are many styles of hot and sour soup in Asian cuisines. They are not only a flavour bomb but also have a purpose to serve.

This recipe uses ingredients commonly used in Thai cuisines: galangal root (similar to ginger), lime leaves, fresh lime and lemon grass. They give a wonderful tart flavour to the soup. Galangal has medicinal properties, an antioxidant and helps to reduce inflammation. A great detoxifier for the liver. Aligned with traditional Chinese medicine principles, spring is a time to nourish the liver, reawakening the appetite for a new harvest year.

I’ve taken elements from Thai cooking and made it super simple. Using Thai seasoning, which consists of paprika, turmeric, black pepper, coriander, fenugreek, dry mustard, cumin, ginger, cayenne (fenugreek can be substituted with garam masala). You can also purchase the Thai seasoning powder blend from pantry shops like Faithful to Nature or Yuppiechef. Lastly, add coconut milk if you’d like a creamier version of the soup, but remember to add on low heat or it’ll curdle. I served it with some fine rice vermicelli noodles, it is a changing-season soup of choice.

Ingredients:  Serves two as main, four as starter

• 150g of sea bass, sliced into 3cm strips, drizzle some olive oil, salt and pepper
• 1 stalk of lemon grass, cut into 5cm strips. Note: to correctly use lemon grass, cut the end bit of the white off and gently peel off the outer layer of the lemon grass, then cut into intended length before use
• 4-6 Thai red chillies (some use green chillies as well, double the heat, entirely up to you)
• 1 lime, quartered
• 6-8 baby tomatoes
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 1 slice of dried galangal, you can find it in Asian grocery stores
• 4-6 dried lime leaves
• 100g button mushrooms
• Handful of Thai basil, these have a dark purple colour. Note: traditionally holy basil is used, it’s also a herb commonly incorporated into Indian cuisine. You can also use green basil commonly found in SA supermarkets
• 2 Tbsp fish sauce
• Salt to season
• 120g of rice vermicelli noodles

Method:

1. Add oil to medium pot, gently sauté garlic till aroma is released, then add mushrooms, lemon grass, lime leaves, chillies,  and seasoning blend
2. Add 1.5l of boiling water to the pot, bring to boil then add galangal and baby tomatoes, bring to boil again
3. Once boiling, add fish, then fish sauce and two lime quarters, reserve the other two for later
4. Cook for 30 minutes, taste and season with salt, reduce to a simmer, then add basil leaves, let it simmer on low heat for 10 minutes
5. In the meantime, bring a pot of water to boil, and cook noodles
6. Once noodles are cooked through, drain and dish into bowl, pour hot soup over, garnish with some coriander if available, squeeze lime juice over and serve!