Oriental Hot and Sour Soup for Diabetics

There were two things that initially attracted me to Jesuit life: food and music. The 80’s Vocation Seminars and Workshops were memorable because the food was simply tasty. I was 16 years old then when I attended the Vocation Seminar in Naga City and the Workshop at Sacred Heart Novitiate in Novaliches in 1984. Literally, I was caught by the all-time favorite baits for teenagers. But look where food and music brought me: I am now a five-year old priest ministering to the youth. And my secret baits? You already know. Grace indeed builds on nature: God begins where we are.

However, there are times when our favorite outlets are tested. When I was diagnosed with diabetes, I thought my food-trips were over. But Jesuit life has taught me never to give up: there is always an alternative. After all, the derogatory and offensive word derived from us, jesuitic, is defined as “crafty and cunning.” I might as well transform that hate word into something constructive. One never goes wrong with food. Here's one soup for people like me.

8 oz. skinless chicken breasts, sliced into ¼ inch-thick strips

14 oz. chicken broth

2 shredded carrots

2 sliced mushrooms

½ cup bamboo shoots, cut into thin strips

2 tablespoons of rice or coconut vinegar

¾ teaspoons powdered white or black pepper

½ teaspoons of hot sauce

2 tablespoons of cornstarch

2 tablespoons of soy sauce

1 tablespoons of apple cider or vanilla extract

2 medium sliced green onions

1 egg, slightly beaten

Mix chicken broth, chicken breasts, carrots, mushrooms, bamboo shoots, vinegar, white/black pepper and hot sauce in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; reduce heat to low and cover. Simmer about 5 minutes until chicken breast are cooked (check until pink center is gone).

In a small bowl, stir in cornstarch, soy sauce, apple cider or vanilla extract until smooth. Add to the chicken broth mixture. Cook and stir until mixture comes to a boil and thickens. Stir in green onions and egg. Cook about 1 minute, stirring in one direction, until egg is cooked.

Put soup into serving bowls. Serve hot. Makes about 6-7 bowls.