Yotam Ottolenghi’s cookbook Plenty More and the filters of VSCOcam : two things I enjoyed spending time with during the Christmas holidays . The hot and sour mushroom soup, photographed with the VSCOcam app in F3 filter, is a little taster for you. My family loved both of it!

Hot and sour mushroom soup (slightly adapted)
(serves six)

1 tbs sunflower oil
3 small onions (roughly chopped)
3 medium carrots (peeled and sliced)
6 celery staks (sliced)
6 garlic cloves, peel and left whole
a chunk of fresh ginger root /peeled and sliced)
3 lemongrass staks, roughly chopped
6 prunes
1 red chili
(6 star anise; in brackets, because I didn’t use any)
2 tbs tamari soy sauce
6 lime leaves
1tbs coriander, pestled
2 tbs red Tandoori paste ( instead of Tamarind paste, which I had not in my pantry)
toasted sesame oil to finish
a choice of mushrooms ( I used brown champignons, dried and soaked cèpes, chanterelles, shitaake and and chinese tungkow), sliced
juice of about 2 limes
coriander leaves
basil leaves
some peas ( green beans in the original recipe)

I also added a tbs of vegetable stock and I didn’t discard the vegetables as Ottolenhi suggested. As we wanted a more filling meal I added some rice noodles to the soup. Perfect for a warming lunch.

Begin by heating oil in a sauce pan and add the onion, carrot, celery, garlic and ginger. Cook on a high heat for about 5 minutes until the edges begin to colour. Pour in 2 2.5 liters of water and add the lemongrass, prunes, chilli, soy , lime leaves and coriander. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a low simmer and cook for 45 minutes.

Add the Red Tandoori paste , followed by the mushrooms and cook for 1 minute.Then add the remaining ingredients apart from the sesame oil, along with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt – and some instant  vegetable stock, if necessary. Allow to heat for a further minute.
Ladle into bowls and finish with a little drizzle of sesame oil in each bowl.