Sour and Hot Soup
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INGREDIENTS 4 dried Chinese mushrooms, 1 to 1-½ inches in diameter
2 squares, 3 inches each, fresh Chinese bean curd, about ½-inch thick
½ cup canned bamboo shoots
¼ pound boneless pork
1 quart chicken stock, fresh or canned
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon soy sauce
¼ teaspoon ground white pepper
2 tablespoons white vinegar
3 tablespoons cold water
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 teaspoons sesame-seed oil
1 scallion, including the green top, finely choppedPREPARE AHEAD
In a small bowl, cover the mushrooms with ½ cup of warm water and let them soak for 30 minutes. Discard the water. With a cleaver or knife, cut away and discard the tough stems of the mushrooms, and shred the caps by placing one at a time on a chopping board. Cut them horizontally into paper-thin slices, and then into thin strips.
Drain the pieces of bamboo shoots and bean curd, and rinse them in cold water. Shred them as fine as the mushrooms.
With a cleaver or sharp knife, trim the pork of all fat. Then shred it, too, by slicing the meat as thin as possible and cutting the slices into narrow strips about 1-½ to 2 inches long.
Have the above ingredients, stock, salt, soy sauce, pepper, vinegar, cornstarch mixture, egg, sesame-seed oil and scallions within easy reach.
TO COOK
Combine in a heavy 3-quart saucepan the stock, salt, soy sauce, mushrooms, bamboo shoots and pork. Bring to a boil over high heat, then immediately reduce the heat to low, cover the pan and simmer for 3 minutes. Drop in the bean curd, and the pepper and vinegar. Bring to a boil again. Give the cornstarch mixture a stir to recombine it and pour it into the soup. Stir for a few seconds until the soup thickens, then slowly pour in the beaten egg, stirring gently all the while.
Remove the soup from the heat and ladle it into a tureen or serving bowl. Stir in the sesame-seed oil and sprinkle the top with scallions. Serve at once.
Serves 6