One of my favorite soups is hot and sour soup, and I was flabbergasted to discover that it’s really quite easy — and cheap! — to make. Who woulda thunk it? Called suan la t’ang in Chinese, it gets its tang from the addition of white vinegar.
Ingredients
6 dried shiitake mushrooms
1 quart chicken stock, fresh or canned
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon soy sauce (or tamari, if making gluten-free)
1/2 cup canned bamboo shoots, drained and sliced into matchsticks
1/4 pound boneless pork cutlet
3/4 cup firm tofu, sliced into matchsticks
1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
4 tablespoons white vinegar
3 tablespoons cornstarch mixed with 4 tablespoons cold water
1 large egg, lightly beaten
Sesame oil
1 scallion, finely chopped
Instructions
Place the mushrooms in a small bowl and cover with hot water. Let stand about 15 minutes to rehydrate.
Meanwhile, combine the chicken stock, salt, and soy sauce in a soup pot and bring to a boil. While waiting for the liquid to heat, trim any fat off the pork and cut it in strips 1/2-inch long and 1/4-inch thick.
Remove the mushrooms from the hot water. Strain any grit from the the mushroom water, then pour it in the soup pot. Slice the mushrooms thinly.
Add the bamboo, sliced mushrooms, and sliced pork to the now-boiling soup. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 3 minutes. Add the tofu, pepper, and vinegar to the pot. Bring to a boil again. Stir in the cornstarch mixed with water to the pot, and continue stirring until the mixture is thickened, about 2 to 3 minutes. Turn off the heat and add the egg, stirring gently.
Ladle the hot soup in bowls and garnish with a teaspoon of sesame oil and some chopped scallions.
