Hot and Sour Soup
A northern Chinese soup where the heat comes almost entirely from a liberal dose of white pepper, not chili, balanced against Chinkiang vinegar added right at the end.
Meat-optional
⚠ Contains: Egg, Gluten, Sesame, Soy. Always check your own ingredients — this isn't a guarantee for severe allergies.
Ingredients
- 150g pork loin, julienned (or tofu for vegetarian)
- 1 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tsp cornstarch (for marinating pork)
- 4 cups chicken or pork stock
- 100g firm tofu, julienned
- 1/4 cup wood ear mushrooms, rehydrated and sliced
- 1/4 cup bamboo shoots, julienned
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 3 tbsp cornstarch + 1/4 cup water (slurry)
- 3 tbsp Chinkiang (Chinese black) vinegar
- 1-2 tsp ground white pepper
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 2 scallions, sliced, to garnish
Steps
- Toss the julienned pork with soy sauce and cornstarch, and let marinate for 10 minutes.
- Bring the stock to a boil, add the pork, and simmer until just cooked through.
- Add the tofu, wood ear mushrooms, and bamboo shoots, and simmer for a few minutes.
- Stir the cornstarch slurry and drizzle it into the soup, stirring, until it thickens.
- Slowly swirl the soup and pour in the beaten egg in a thin stream to form ribbons.
- Remove from heat and stir in the vinegar, white pepper, soy sauce, and sesame oil — adding these off the heat, or at the very end, keeps the vinegar bright and the pepper from turning bitter.
- Garnish with scallions and serve immediately.