Hot and Sour Soup
Ingredients:
2 ounces shredded pork tenderloin
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon cornstarch
6 dried black wood-ear mushrooms
1 tablespoon cooking oil
1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
2 cups water
2 cups soup stock
1/2 cup bamboo shoots, cut into thin strips
3-4 dried or fresh shiitake mushrooms
1/4 box soft tofu, cut into small cubes
1 1/2 teaspoons salt, or to taste
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 1/2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons cornstarch, mixed well with 1/4 cup water
1 egg, beaten
1 green onion (scallion), finely chopped
White pepper, to taste (no more than 1 tablespoon)
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
Chili oil, to taste
Pinch of salt
Directions:
Marinate pork in 1 teaspoon of soy sauce, 1/2 teaspoon of sesame oil, 1 teaspoon of cornstarch, and a pinch of salt. Soak the mushrooms in warm water for 35 minutes or until softened. Rinse, remove unwanted stems,and cut into thin shreds.
Heat 1 tablespoon of cooking oil in a wok add minced garlic. Add shredded pork and stir-fry until cooked. Remove and set aside on a plate.
Boil water and soup stock in a saucepan. Add bamboo shoots, black wood-ear mushrooms, and shiitake mushrooms. Bring to a boil again. Add tofu and precooked pork shreds. Stir in salt, sugar, soy sauce, and vinegar. Taste the broth and adjust the taste if desired. Slowly pour the cornstarch mixture into the soup, stirring while it is being added, until the soup thickens. Return the broth to a boil, and then turn down the heat. Slowly drop in the beaten egg, stirring in one direction at the same time. Add chopped green onion and white pepper. Add chili oil.
Drizzle with sesame oil and serve hot.
Note: Pork can be left out of the recipe to create a vegetarian version of this soup.
Reprinted with permission from Cooking Well: Healthy Chinese. ISBN: 978-1-57826-428-5 $12.50 (paperback). From Hatherleigh Press. Distributed by Random House.
