Hot and Sour Soup

Recipe

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup pork shreds
• 1/4 cup dried Chinese fungi (tree ears), measured after soaking
• 1/4 cup shredded bamboo shoots
• 2 medium-sized dried Chinese mushrooms
• 6 to 8 dried tiger-lily buds (golden needles)
• 1/2 cake fresh bean curd
• 1 egg
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon sesame-seed oil
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon monosodium glutamate
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch

Preparation:

Cut the fresh bean curd into slices 1" x 1/4" x 1/4".

Beat the egg.

Dissolve the 2 tablespoons cornstarch in 3 tablespoons cold water.

Cooking Procedures:

Add 1 teaspoon soy sauce, 1/2 teaspoon sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, 2 tablespoons vinegar, 1/4 teaspoon pepper and 1/4 teaspoon monosodium glutamate.

Thicken with the cornstarch. Turn off heat and immediately add the beaten eggs. Gently stir a few times.

Add 1 teaspoon sesame-seed oil just before serving to complete the exotic quality of the soup.

Tips:

Tree ears must always be soaked in warm water before using. The 1/4 cup called for in this recipe is measured after the fungi are soaked. To measure before soaking, allow about 2 tablespoons.

The quantity of pepper and vinegar may be increased or decreased according to individual taste. The MSG may be omitted entirely.

Attribution