Weekend Cooking...Rice Noodle Soup with Shrimp

Yes folks, another soup. I am on a soup kick.
Here is it another of my days off, and once again chilly and rainy.
Pouring rain and thunder.
It is also a Friday in Lent, so for me, a meat free day.
And dinner time is fast approaching.
In the spirit of Lent, let's see if we can keep it fairly simple and also, maybe, at the same time, use up some things hanging around in the frig before they get furry.

So, I have that frozen shrimp in the freezer and that package of brown rice noodle I got for review from Amazon Vine. Let's check the produce drawer in the frig..a red pepper, carrots and onions, some cilantro and some limes left over...oh, I think I see another soup in my future, but this time let's look East...'cause I have to use those rice noodles!

There are dozens and dozens of recipes for soup with rice noodles out there and once again I read a bunch of them and then took an idea from here and and an idea from there. And once again, I think the result was pretty darn good.
The broth has a bit of a sweet and sour taste, with the vinegar and lime juice on the one side and the touch of sugar on the other, a little salty from the fish sauce and soy and a little hot from the chili sauce..or a lot hot if so desired.
The vegetables you add are up to you. I love the texture of rehydrated mushrooms and the crisp bok choy, the finish of scallions and the cilantro add a nice fresh taste. A lot of recipes called for lemongrass, but that would have involved a trip to the Asian Market and I was in a bit of a rush because I had to get to the beer tasting at my local liquor store before it was over. But we will talk about that another day. So no lemongrass.
And of course the choice of noodles is up to you too. The rice noodle are very quick and easy, and gluten free....but personally I have never met a noodle I didn't like so use what you like.
When they are all listed like this, it seems like a lot of ingredients, but it really is a very fast, pretty easy recipe. So don't get scared away.

Rice Noodle Soup with Shrimp
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 small onion, thinly sliced
1 Tbsp. grated fresh ginger
4 cloves garlic, grated
1 red pepper, cut in matchsticks
1 carrot, cut in matchsticks 
4 cups chicken or vegetable stock

2 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. fish sauce
1 tsp. chili sauce or 2 Thai chilies
1 tsp. sugar
Grated rind of one lime
Juice of one lime 

1 lb. raw shrimp, cleaned, peeled
2 cups snow peas
1/2 head bok choy, roughly chopped
1 oz. dried mushroom, rehydrate in boiling water
4-8 oz. rice noodle, pre-soaked as instructions on package direct.

1 tbsp. chopped cilantro
1 small bunch scallions, finely sliced
dark sesame oil

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In a large pot, heat the oil and add onion, garlic and ginger and saute. Add carrots, pepper and stock and let simmer. Meanwhile, mix the soy, vinegar, sugar, fish sauce, lime rind and juice and chili sauce in a small bowl to combine and then add to the stock and simmer for a few minutes.
Add the shrimp and the mushrooms and snow peas and let cook for a few minutes, depending on the size of the shrimp, then add the bok choy and noodles and cook until noodle are desired consistency, another minute or two.
Ladle in bowls and served with a drizzle of sesame oil, some sliced scallions and a little chopped cilantro.

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This is my contribution this to this week's Weekend Cooking.
"Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book (novel, nonfiction) reviews, cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, fabulous quotations, photographs. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend."
Be sure to check out the other entries this week. As always, hosted by Beth Fish Reads.

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