Recipes with Dainess Chef’s School: Chinese Hot and Sour Soup

The Chinese Hot and Sour Soup is a traditional Northern Chinese dish usually meat-based, served warm and packed with the goodness of healthy veggies, vitamins and minerals that can benefit your overall well-being in many ways, such as increasing the strength of your body. Eating this soup can also help avoid and treat common diseases, and its spiciness is ideal for clearing the chest and nasal congestions as it is relatively light and so it’s easy to digest.

However, if you are undergoing a health treatment or under medications then make sure you consult your doctor before making this soup a part of your daily diet.

Ingredients

• 250g                                         Dried black mushrooms
• 250g                                        Dried cloud ear (tree ear) mushrooms as needed in boiling

water

• 2.5 L                                        Chicken stock
• 8 oz. 250 g                               Lean pork, cut julienne
• 6 oz. 180 g                               Bamboo shoots, cut julienne
• 3 FL oz. 80 g                            Soy sauce
• 2 tsp 10 mL                             White pepper
• 8 tbsp. 120 mL                        Cornstarch
• 8 FL oz. 250 mL                       Cold water
• 3 FL oz. 90 mL                         Rice vinegar or wine vinegar
• 2 tsp 10 mL                             Oriental sesame oil
• 2                                              Eggs, lightly beaten
• 1                                              Scallion, sliced thin
• 2 tbsp.                                     Cilantro, chopped

Method

1. Place the two types of dried mushroom in separate bowls. Add enough boiling water to each to cover mushrooms. Let stand until soft.
2. Drain the mushrooms, squeezing them lightly. Reserve the soaking liquid.
3. Cut off and discard the stems from the black mushrooms. Cut the caps into thin strips.
4. Cut off any coarse, woody stems from the cloud ear mushrooms. Cut the mushrooms into ½ -inch (1-cm) pieces.
5. Combine the stock and the mushroom liquid in a saucepot. Bring to a boil.
6. Add the mushrooms, pork, bamboo shoots, soy sauce, and white pepper.
7. Simmer 3 minutes.
8. Mix the cornstarch with the cold water until smooth.
9. Add the cornstarch mixture to the simmering soup, stirring constantly.
10. Simmer until the soup is lightly thickened.
11. Add the vinegar and sesame oil to soup.
12. Slowly drizzle in the beaten egg, stirring slowly but constantly so that the egg coagulates in thin shreds.
13. At service time, top each portion with a few slices of scallion and a pinch of chopped cilantro.
14. Serve and enjoy!