Hot and Sour Soup, the Authentic Way (酸辣汤)

Name: Hot and Sour Soup, the Authentic Way (酸辣汤)
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 1 h 20 min
Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients: 5 dried shiitake mushroom; 5 g dried wood ear mushroom; 20 strands dried lily buds (lily flower); 80 g lean pork; ½ teaspoon cornstarch; 1 teaspoon water; ½ teaspoon neutral cooking oil; 40 g carrot; 50 g bamboo shoots; 100 g soft tofu, julienned; 1 egg; 1000 ml unsalted chicken/vegetable stock, or water; 4 tablespoon cornstarch; 3 tablespoon black rice vinegar; 1 tablespoon light soy sauce; ½ teaspoon ground white pepper; ½ teaspoon sesame oil; Coriander or scallions

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Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
10 mins
Soak
1 hr
Total Time
1 hr 20 mins
Servings
6 servings
Calories
116 kcal
Course
Soup
Cuisine
Chinese

Hot and Sour Soup, the Authentic Way (酸辣汤)

Iris Warren

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Tangy, glossy broth filled with ingredients of diverse flavours and textures, hot and sour soup is hearty, comforting and delectable. Learn to make it the authentic Chinese way.

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Ingredients

Servings

For the dried ingredients

5 dried shiitake mushroom about ½ cup after rehydrating and slicing
5 g dried wood ear mushroom about ½ cup after rehydrating and slicing
20 strands dried lily buds (lily flower)

For the pork

80 g lean pork about ½ cup after slicing, see note 1
½ teaspoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon water
½ teaspoon neutral cooking oil

Other ingredients

40 g carrot about ½ cup after slicing
50 g bamboo shoots about ½ cup after slicing
100 g soft tofu, julienned about ½ cup after slicing
1 egg

For the soup base

1000 ml unsalted chicken/vegetable stock, or water about 4¼ cups
4 tablespoon cornstarch mix with 4 tablespoon of water

For the seasoning

3 tablespoon black rice vinegar
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
½ teaspoon ground white pepper
½ teaspoon sesame oil
Coriander or scallions finely chopped

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Instructions

Rehydrate the dried ingredients

Soak dried shiitake mushroom, wood ear mushroom and lily buds in plenty of warm water until they enlarge and become soft. It takes at least 1 hour (soak overnight if you plan ahead).
Slice the mushrooms into thin strips. Tear lily buds lengthways into thinner strands.

Marinate the pork

Cut pork, against its grain, into thin strips. Mix with cornstarch and water, then coat with oil. Set aside.

Prepare other ingredients

Slice carrot, bamboo shoots and tofu into thin strips. Lightly beat the egg.

Cook the soup

In a wok or large pot, bring the stock (or water) to a full boil. Add the marinated pork. Quickly stir with chopsticks to separate the strands. Use a spoon to skim off the froth appearing on the surface.
Add shiitake mushroom, wood ear, lily buds, carrot, bamboo shoots. Leave to cook for 2 mins or so.
Turn down the heat and keep the soup at a gentle simmer. Mix cornstarch and water very well then slowly pour the slurry into the soup. Stir with a spoon/ladle.
Once the soup becomes thick, gently slide in the tofu. Slowly pour in the egg in a circular motion.

Season the soup

When the soup starts bubbling again, turn off the heat. Add black rice vinegar, soy sauce, white pepper and sesame oil (see note 2).
Give everything a gentle stir. Garnish with coriander or scallions. Serve warm.

Notes

You may use chicken breast to replace pork. To make the dish vegetarian, simply skip the meat.
If you‘re not going to serve the soup straightaway, leave out the seasonings and add them when the soup is reheated and to be served immediately. This is to ensure the ultimate tangy flavour from black rice vinegar and white pepper.