Guilt-free Shrimp Hot & Sour Soup

I'm not a big soup eater. There, I said it. It's fall and I'm not that into soup. I know millions of people look forward to this time of year so they can eat soup again without feeling weird/too hot? (I'm not a big seasonal eater - eat what you want, when you want. Who cares?) The only soup I'm totally in love with is coconut green curry soup (and now this one!) This soup is really nice and chunky even though it's a broth based soup - hence my claim that it's guilt-free!

But, for some reason I've had this craving/wanted to try a hot & sour soup. I had these brown rice vermicelli noodles in my pantry and I thought I'd try something different. So, I went to the gym after work, came home and changed, went to the grocery store and started in on this soup. And, now it's 9:20 and we just finished eating! Isn't that always the way with an ambitious weekday dinner plan?

I based this recipe on one I found on FoodNetwork.com.

Ingredients

• 1 pkg brown rice vermicelli noodles
• 1 pkg raw shrimp (easy peel - meaning shell on) 400g
• Sprinkle of salt
• Few drops sesame oil
• 2 L chicken stock
• 1 cup sliced mushrooms
• 6 thin slices fresh fresh ginger

• 6 garlic cloves, smashed
• 5 green onions, sliced
• Pinch of red pepper flakes
• 1/4 cup Thai fish sauce
• 3 teaspoons sugar
• 1/4 cup whole fresh cilantro leaves
• 1/4 cup lightly chopped basil 
• 1/3 cups freshly squeezed lime juice
• 2 tsp salt

1. Saute the mushrooms with a small handful of the onions. Set aside.

2. Peel the shrimp and set the shells aside. Sprinkle the sesame oil and a sprinkle of salt to the shrimp and keep in the fridge until you are ready to use.

Just a side note - I think it's worth the 2 or 3 extra dollars you pay to get your shrimp already peeled. Unless you have a pretty small amount (like this) it's a huge pain in the you-know-what. I only got this kind because I actually used the shells for something.

3. Simmer the chicken stock for about 20 minutes with the ginger and garlic.

4. Add the shrimp shells and simmer for another 15 minutes.

5. Meanwhile, juice the limes. I juiced 2.5 limes to get 1/3 cup of juice.

6. Strain the broth and discard the shells, ginger and garlic. Then, basically add all the remaining ingredients to the broth (including the mushrooms you set aside earlier). Let the noodles soften (this takes about 3 minutes) and add the shrimp.

7. The shrimp takes no time at all to cook and once it turns pink, it's done. Then, just scoop the works into a bowl and enjoy!