Hot and Sour Soup

Thom Hackett
Serves: 6

Exotic ingredients such as black mushrooms, tofu and bamboo shoots add unique flavor and texture to hot sour soup.

Ingredients

¼   pound boneless lean pork
2    tablespoons cornstarch, plus 1 teaspoon
1½ teaspoon sesame oil, divided
1     teaspoons sea salt
1     tablespoon soy sauce, plus 1 teaspoon
6     dried black mushroom, medium
4     ounces firm tofu, block
2     cups water
4     cups chicken broth
2     tablespoons white vinegar
½   cup canned bamboo shoots, shredded
2     tablespoons cold water
¼   teaspoon white pepper
1     egg, slightly beaten
2     tablespoons green onions including tops, chopped
2     teaspoons Tabasco pepper sauce
 

Cooking Method

Trim fat from pork. 

1. Cut pork with grain into 2" strips. 

2. Cut strips across grain into ⅛" slices.

3. Stack slices and cut into thin strips.

Toss pork, 1 teaspoon cornstarch, ½ teaspoon sesame oil and 1 teaspoon soy sauce in medium bowl. 

• Cover and refrigerate 20 minutes or more.

Soak mushrooms in hot water 20 minutes or until soft. 

1. Drain. 

2. Rinse in warm water. 

3. Drain. 

4. Squeeze out excess moisture. 

5. Remove and discard stems and cut caps into thin slices.

Cut tofu into ¼" pieces.
 

Heat 2 cups water, broth, vinegar, 1 tablespoon soy sauce and 1 teaspoon salt to boiling in 3-quart saucepan.

1. Stir in bamboo shoots, mushrooms, pork and tofu. 

2. Heat to boiling. 

3. Reduce heat. 

4. Cover and simmer 5 minutes.

Mix 2 tablespoon cornstarch, cold water and white pepper. 

Stir into soup. 

Heat to rolling boil over high heat, stirring constantly.  (If broth is not heated to rolling boil, egg will not form threads.) 

1. Pour egg slowly into soup, stirring constantly with fork until egg forms threads.

2. Stir in green onions, pepper sauce and 1 teaspoon sesame oil. 

Serve hot.