Mai Loan-Bass's Vietnamese Sweet-And-Sour Soup

• 2 garlic cloves
• 3 1/2 cups basic chicken broth
• 2 1/2 tablespoons white vinegar, or fresh lemon or lime juice
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 1/4 tablespoons oyster sauce or fish sauce
• 1 small onion, thinly sliced
• 1 medium carrot, thinly sliced
• 3/4 cup sliced bamboo shoots
• 1 small zucchini, thinly sliced
• 1/4 pound medium-sized raw shrimp, peeled and deveined, sliced in half lengthwise
• 1 cup fresh mung bean sprouts
• 6 to 8 fresh mint leaves, minced
• 1 green chili pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste

1. Rub the two garlic cloves with oil and roast in a shallow pan at 400 degrees until golden, about 15 minutes.
2. Cool, then peel, mince and set aside.
3. In a saucepan, heat the chicken stock with the vinegar, sugar and oyster or fish sauce.
4. Just before it reaches the boiling point, add the onion, carrot, bamboo shoots, zucchini and shrimp.
5. Simmer until the shrimps turn pink and are cooked, about three to five minutes.
6. Place the raw bean sprouts in four warm soup bowls and add the hot soup.
7. Garnish with mint leaves, roasted garlic and sliced chili pepper.
8. Season with black pepper to taste.

garlic, chicken broth, white vinegar, sugar, oyster sauce, onion, carrot, bamboo shoots, zucchini, shrimp, sprouts, mint, green chili pepper, freshly ground black pepper

Taken from cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/10559 (may not work)