Tamarind Shrimp Noodle Soup

My fellow cheftestants in the Chicago Redeye Virtual Kitchen Stadium were provided their secret ingredient this morning - Tamarind! I love the sour and sweet flavor of tamarind, especially in soups. To play along, I made a quick and easy soup using tamarind paste I usually have on hand. With all the cool summer weather we've been having lately, it was definitely a great day for soup...

Tamarind Shrimp Noodle Soup
original Joelen recipe

1 package Japanese ramen or yakisoba noodles
3-4 cups chicken broth
1 tablespoon tamarind paste
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb shrimp, raw, peeled & deveined
1-2 stalks green onion, sliced thin for garnish


In a large saucepan, place the chicken broth over medium high heat. Stir in the tamarind paste and add the minced garlic.

When the chicken broth comes to a boil, add the noodles. Cook the noodles until softened, then add the shrimp.

Once the shrimp has turned pink and cooked through (roughly 3-5 minutes), remove from heat and stir. Season to taste with salt & pepper if desired.

Ladle the soup into a serving bowl and garnish with green onions; serve hot.