
Chinese Hot-and-Sour Soup

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When made with the best ingredients, this soup is redolent of mushrooms, the pepper is aromatic but not biting, and the soup has a broth like consistency rather than gelatinous from too much cornstarch. Traditionally this soup is made with pork and pork broth, but any meat and any broth will work. In fact, it is particularly good with duck. For the best results, look for dried shiitake mushrooms with caps that have a network of fissures revealing white flesh. Depending on their sizeand size seems to have little effect on flavorthese mushrooms will run anywhere from expensive to very expensive. Fortunately a few go a long way and it is worth buying a lot because they will keep for years. Some of the ingredients in this soupthe tree ears, tiger lily stems, and tofuare more for texture than flavor and can be left out. I call specifically for Japanese tofu because I prefer its texture. If you are using raw meat, make sure it is from a tender cut, as tough cuts wont have time to tenderize. Use the finest wine vinegar you can find (sherry is often the best bet), and be sure to use dark Asian sesame oil made from toasted seeds (the Japanese brands are consistently superior). The cold-pressed sesame oil sold in health-food stores doesnt have the flavor you need.
ingredients
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serves: 4
12 medium shiitake mushrooms (about 3 ounces, dried or 10 ounces fresh)
1/2 cup dried tree ears (also called tree fungus or black fungus) (optional)
20 dried tiger lily stems (optional)
1 quart meat broth (or poultry broth, preferably brown)
1 cup (1/2-inch) cubed tender raw (or cooked meat such as chicken, pork, duck, or beef, about 1/2 pound by weight)
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon Asian sesame oil
1 tablespoon cornstarch
Japanese tofu (cut into 1/3-inch cubes)
1/4 cup sherry vinegar (or other good wine vinegar, or more to taste)
1 tablespoon freshly ground pepper
1 egg (beaten)
1 green onion (white and 3 inches of the green, very thinly sliced)
Salt
Servings Per Recipe: 4
Amount per Serving
Calories: 485
- Total Fat: 19.5 g
- Saturated Fat: 4.7 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Cholesterol: 349.5 mg
- Sodium: 23797.9 mg
- Total Carbs: 44.2 g
- Dietary Fiber: 9.4 g
- Sugars: 23.2 g
- Protein: 36 g
preparation

comments
Mommy_loves_to_cook
August 15, 2011