Shrimp Szechuan Noodle Soup with Fresh Vegetables and Egg

Originally posted on allrecipes by Lindseytr0n

Tender thin szechuan noodles swim in a rich vegetable broth with lots of flavor and mild heat, topped with fresh vegetables, plump shrimp and hardboiled egg. This recipe can easily be made vegan by replacing the shrimp with extra firm tofu and omitting the egg.



You'll need:

5 cups of water
3/4 lb of fresh shrimp in shell
1 heaping tablespoon of vegetable broth powder
2 T of soy sauce
2 t salt
1 t of dried lemongrass or 2 inch piece of lemongrass stalk
2 cloves of garlic, peeled
1 t of cayenne pepper
Slices of onion
4 thin slices of ginger
1 cup of thinly sliced mushrooms
Szechuan noodles, about 6 oz

1 small zucchini, cut into matchsticks (julienne)
4 small carrots cut into matchsticks
1 large clove of garlic, minced
oil, for sautéing
soy sauce
rice vinegar
1 sliced scallion, white part included
2 hardboiled eggs
fish sauce for sprinkling (optional)



Directions

1. Peel shrimp leaving tails on and add shells to soup pot.
2. Add lemongrass, whole garlic, pepper, ginger, onion, vegetable broth powder, salt, soy sauce and water, stir and bring to a boil. Boil for 5 minutes. Strain everything out and discard. Leave broth to simmer on low.
3. Place eggs in a saucepan filled with water, cover and bring to a boil. Remove cover and boil for 13 minutes. Afterwards, carefully place eggs in bowl of ice water to cool.
4. Bring a pot of water to a boil for cooking noodles. Cook noodles for amount of time shown on package. Stir occasionally so they don't stick. About 12 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, sauté minced garlic until golden and then add in zucchini and carrots. Cook just until zucchini is softened (about 3 minutes). Drizzle with soy sauce and rice vinegar to taste. Transfer to plate.
6. Add mushrooms to simmering broth.
7. Sprinkle shrimp with salt and dried lemongrass. Sauté in a bit of oil until opaque on outside, just a couple minutes. Do not fully cook, they will finish cooking in hot broth.
8. Strain noodles, add to broth. Peel eggs and slice thickly.
9. Add noodles and broth to individual bowls, drizzle with fish sauce if desired. Top with shrimp, vegetables and then scallion. Nestle egg on sides. Serve.