Mandarin Soup

This is a sweet and salty soup, for low sodium leave out the soy sauce, but it will not taste the same (somewhere on here is a recipe for low sodium soy sauce). This soup reheats and freezes well.

• Ready In: 1 hr 20 mins
• Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 4  large  fresh shiitake mushrooms
• 2  garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
• 2  skinless chicken thighs, and fat removed
• 6  cups water
• 1  leek, chopped
• 1  tablespoon  minced  fresh gingerroot or 1  teaspoon dried ginger
• 3  tablespoons soy sauce
• 5  scallions, diced
• 1⁄2 cup snow peas, destringed and cut into thirds
• 1⁄2 cup mung bean sprouts
• 1  tablespoon dry sherry
• 1⁄8 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
• 1 (11 ounce) can mandarin oranges, drained

Directions

1. Snap the stems off the mushrooms. Reserve the caps.
2. Put the stems in a pot with the garlic, chicken, water, and leek, and simmer for 45 minutes.
3. Strain the stock, discard the vegetables, and set the chicken aside.
4. Put the stock back in the pot. It will have been reduced by about one-third, do not add water.
5. Take the chicken off the bones and cube it, add it to the pot.
6. Add the ginger, soy sauce, scallions, snow peas, bean sprouts, pepper, and sherry to the soup.
7. Slice the mushroom caps and put them inches.
8. Puree the mandarin oranges and add them to the pot.
9. Bring the soup to a gentle simmer. Cook for 10 minutes, check the seasonings add more pepper add soy sauce if needed.