Reheating/Resurrecting Arrowroot thickened soup

[Heidi the Pilgrim]

It's been a long time since I was here...life and all. Yes, this is a burning question, for the simple reason that I am sick, with the bubonic plague or something, and I am going to my freezer for my favorite remedy, hot and sour soup from my local Chinese restaurant. With the last batch I defrosted, I noticed it was chunky when reheated, it never did break down and smooth out which I attribute to the arrowroot probably used to thicken it. I did search and found many articles on arrowroot as a thickener but nothing about reheating it.

Is there anything I can do to smooth this soup out again, or will I have to suffer with the somewhat rough texture in favor of it's medicinal properties (which are fantastic and should be documented...)? If they delivered I'd order it fresh...but....

Thanks for any help...*coughcough*

[David A. Goldfarb]

Add a little stock or water, and it should loosen up.

[Heidi the Pilgrim]

Unfortunately that didn't work, I just ended up with thinner, 'chunky jelly' soup.

[John Rosevear]

Takeout Chinese soup seems more likely to be thickened with cornstarch (or potato starch) rather than arrowroot. Try whisking it while warming it over low-to-medium heat on the stove. The lumps will break up and melt back in as it heats.