Hot and Sour Soup
Instructions:
To Americans, one of the best-known Chinese soups and
much better made at home than at most restaurants. It
gets its heat from freshly ground pepper (use a lot of it)
and its sourness from rice vinegar. Don’t be put off by the
long ingredient list: This doesn’t take much time to prepare.
Normally, I think thickening with cornstarch is
unnecessary, but here it feels appropriate to give the soup
its signature thickness; you can eliminate it if you like.
1 tablespoon dark sesame oil
3 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 pound lean pork loin, chicken breast, or flank steak,
cut into thin shreds against the grain (optional)
6 cups chicken stock or water
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
5 dried shiitake (black) mushrooms, soaked in hot
water for at least 10 minutes
5 Chinese wood ear mushrooms, soaked in hot water
for at least 10 minutes
1/2 pound extra-firm tofu, cut into 1/2 -inch cubes
1/4 cup rice vinegar, or to taste
3 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1/2 cup chopped scallion
MAKES: 4 servings
TIME: 30 minutes
- Whisk together 1 teaspoon of the sesame oil with 1 tablespoon each of the soy sauce and cornstarch. If you’re using them, marinate the meat shreds in this mixture.
- Meanwhile, combine the stock with the garlic and ginger in a large, deep pot and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Drain the mushrooms, trim off all the hard spots, cut into thin slices, and add to the stock. Reduce the heat to low and cook at a steady bubble for 5 minutes.
- Bring the stock back to a boil over medium heat and add the meat. Stir to make sure the pieces do not stick together and cook until the meat loses its pinkness, about 3 minutes. Then add the tofu, vinegar, pepper, and remaining soy sauce. Reduce the heat to low again and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Mix the remaining cornstarch with 1/4 cup cold water and stir that mixture into the soup until it thickens, about 1 minute. Continue to stir and pour in the eggs in a slow stream. The eggs should form thin, almost transparent ribbons. Remove from the heat and season with the remaining sesame oil and more vinegar or pepper to taste. Garnish with the cilantro and scallion and serve.
- Vegetarian Hot and Sour Soup.
- Omit the meat and add 1/2 pound more tofu and 1/2 pound shredded bamboo shoots. Substitute good vegetable stock for the chicken stock