Hot & Sour soup - modifications

On 12/9/2019 I used Jeffrey Eisner's recipe for Hot & Sour soup from pressureluckcooking.com. It was very good, however I made some modifications and believe my second attempt will suit me better after documenting the modifications and suggestions.

The original ingredient list:
7-8 cups of vegetable broth (I used 7 tsp of Vegetable Better Than Bouillon + 7 cups of water; NOTE: using 7 cups vs. 8 creates an even more intense hot & sour flavor of the soup)
1 tbsp of canola oil
3 tbsp of rice vinegar
1 tbsp of red wine vinegar
1/4 cup of reduced-sodium soy sauce
2 tsp of chili garlic sauce (or Sriracha will work fine too!)
1 tsp of sesame oilsesame oil
1.5 tsp of granulated sugar
2 tsp of ground ginger
1 tsp of white pepper
1.5 tsp of Kosher salt
1 bunch (or about 5 strands) of scallions, sliced
16oz of Baby Bella (Crimini) mushrooms, sliced (you can also use Shiitake mushrooms, just remove the stems)
16oz can of bamboo shoots, drained
8-10oz bag of baby spinach
8-14oz of firm or extra firm tofu, cut into small cubes
1/4 cup of cornstarch + 1/4 cup water, for a slurry
2 large eggs, whisked

I didn't have sriracha, or the correct chili garlic sauce, so I used Louisiana hot sauce and used chicken base in place of the "better than bouillon", since I prefer this brand and had no vegetable base left having used it all the day before.  

I also added diced chicken, hoisen sauce, sweet garlic chili sauce (contains honey as well as the peppers), white mushrooms & ginger.  I omitted the salt & sugar, cut the sesame oil & baby bella quantities in half, and doubled the tofu because I did not want any leftovers. 

I believe next time, I will either cut the tofu quantity in half, (Jeffrey's lowest estimated quantity would have been correct), or I will double the batch of soup.  There was just way too much tofu for me with it being doubled though, and I would add at least one more box of mushrooms, and would repeat all of the additions I made.  It really added to it giving it a much more robust flavor. 

It turned out so good in fact that even my mother, who hates hot & sour soup, ate two bowls! That is the true test of whether something is good! lol! 

Chinese Chicken & Broccoli (Instant Pot translation and recipe revision)

Good evening my lovely readers! It's a beautiful 50* out and this momma is thinking "chinese"! Hubby and I are getting pretty good at perfecting the homemade chinese, so here is the basic run down of how we handled the last batch we made! My picky little people love homemade chinese normally, but this recipe was such a hit that I didn't even have enough left over to send in lunches for the next day!

This recipe is what I jumped off of, and it's obviously not an IP meal, but is easily translated. Here is the basic ingredient listing, with my revisions:

• 1 large Head of Broccoli, cut into florets
• 3 Tablespoons vegetable oil
• 6 boneless chicken thighs skinless, chopped into bite sized pieces
• 2 cloves, minced or 2 tsp granulated garlic
• 1 onion, cut julienned
• 1 can bamboo shoots, drained
• 1 can water chestnuts, drained
• 1 tsp dried ginger, to taste, adjust after cooking
• 2 Tablespoons Hoisin Sauce + more to taste after cooking
• 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
• 3 Tablespoons soy sauce (extra to taste)
• 6 Tablespoons honey **
• 1-3 cups hot water per preference of gravy to veg/meat ratio

** I skip the honey, but have left it in just in case someone else would like to know how much to add.

1. Cut the chicken into bite sized pieces and push "saute". When it says "hot" add your oil and push it around so it coats your IP liner. Then add your chicken, and sear it lightly, just till the chicken is getting white, or light brown spots.
2. Next you're going to deglaze the liner using the water. While the chicken is still in the bottom of the liner, and while the pot is still good and hot, add 1 cup of water and using a wooden spoon or scraper, scrape up anything that might be stuck to the bottom. The chicken will produce liquid, but the IP requires liquid to work correctly, and we like lots of gravy.
3. Cancel the saute function.
4. Add the garlic, onion, ginger, soy sauce, hoisin, & oyster on top, don't stir.
5. ** If you desire rice with this meal, & have a stainless steel PIP bowl, and a long legged trivet, you can measure your rice & water out into your PIP bowl and place the long legged trivet in on top of your food.
6. Set the cook time for 5-10 minutes depending on how much chicken you have, (if you have a single batch 5-7 is sufficient. If you double it you'll need to cook a little longer. Let it naturally release for 10 minutes.
7. While it's cooking, cut up your broccoli to suit you, some like it big, some like it small, I have preschoolers so I have to accommodate their small mouths.
8. When the IP beeps, you're going to stir the food and taste. Season accordingly. I added more ginger, hoisin, water, oyster, black pepper, and rice wine.
9. Once you're satisfied that it is seasoned to suit you, put the bamboo, water chestnuts & broccoli in on top, in that order. Do not stir it in. Reset the IP to either 0 (zero) minutes HP, or 1 minute LP depending on which one you have. This SHOULD produce broccoli that is softened but not mush... however I am not 100% on it, it COULD be too mushy... some folks like their broccoli pretty firm...
10. Anyway, when it beeps after adding the broccoli do a quick release.
11. If the quick release spits sauce... close it back up and do a controlled pressure release. Don't make a mess of your counter ... just close it back up and release the pressure slowly by hand...

{Instant Pot} Pressure Cooker Chicken Taco Soup [Revised]

Ingredients

• 4 c. (32oz) chicken broth
• 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts;
• diced, cut into strips or left whole to be shredded later. Skip step 3 if pre-cutting the chicken
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1 (15oz) can corn with diced peppers
• [Baja, Southwest, Fiesta, Jalapeño, Chipotle, & Fire roasted corn blends or (1 (7oz) can of chilis + 1 (15oz can of corn) are examples of what is meant by this ingredient
• 1 (15oz) can black beans w/o chili sauce, drained & rinsed
• 1 (14.5oz) can petite diced tomatoes
• Toppings:  

o    Tortilla Strips 

o    Sour Cream

o    Shredded Cheese

o    Avocado

Instructions

1.    Combine all ingredients in pressure cooker, in order, except topping ingredients.  Do not stir!

2.    Close lid and make sure pressure release valve is set to sealing. Set pressure cooker to high pressure using either "Pressure cook" or "Manual" button, and set for 15 minutes. When time is up carefully quick release the pressure cooker. 

3.    Remove chicken and shred with two forks. Place back in pressure cooker and stir. 

4.    Divide into soup bowls and top with any toppings of your preference. 

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Up To Pressure Time: 10 minutes, approximately. 

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes ~

Servings: 6

Author: Julie Evink, revised by Heidi Evans for clarity and burn warning elimination