Hot and Sour Soup

I am so sorry that I’ve been absent for such a long time from blogging. It’s not that I have not been cooking, I was overwhelm with school, homework, projects, long hours at work, and on top of that taking care of Yogi and the bf.

It’s been so stressful that at one point I got really sick. All I wanted was something warm or hot in my tummy. Since I was not feeling too well, I had lack of energy, so I was looking for something that was fast and simple. I made hot and sour soup for the first time. If you have all your ingredients in hand, this is very easy to make.

As always, you can always substitute the ingredients to make it your own. You can use vegetable stock to make it vegetarian, or tamari to make it soy-free. However, please do not substitute with black pepper; white pepper makes a big difference in this soup.

Ingredients

• 6 dried Chinese black fungus
• 6 dried wood ear, black, cloud, straw, or shiitake mushrooms, or one bunch of fresh enoki mushrooms
• 5 dried lily buds (found at the Asian market)
• One can of bamboo shoots ( thinly sliced into strips)
• 2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon of white vinegar or rice vinegar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons of soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon of cornstarch
• 4 cups of chicken broth (use gluten-free broth for gluten-free version)
• 1/2 block of soft tofu, diced into small cubes
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 teaspoon of sesame oil
• 3 scallions, diced
• 1/4 teaspoon of salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons of finely ground white pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon of chili oil (optional)
• Cilantro (optional)

Method

1 Pour boiling water over the mushrooms until the mushrooms are covered and allow them to soak for 20 minutes, turning the mushrooms over occasionally. It may not seem like a lot but they will grow quite a bit. After soaking remove any woody ends with a knife. Cut mushrooms into strips. Reserve 1/4 cup of the liquid and mix with the cornstarch. (If using fresh enoki mushrooms set aside as they do not need to soak).

2 Pour boiling water over the lily buds until covered and allow to sit for 15 minutes. Cut the buds crosswise then tear them up into a few bunches.

3 Mix the vinegars and soy sauce together and set aside. Open the can of bamboo shoots, drain well, and cut the shoots lengthwise into strips.

4 Place the chicken broth into a bot and bring to a boil over high heat. Add the tofu, mushrooms, lily buds, bamboo shoots, vinegar mixture, and cornstarch mixture. Mix and bring back to a boil. Once it comes to a boil remove from heat. While stirring the soup slowly pour the egg into the broth in a small steam while stirring the soup allowing the egg to instantly cook and feather into the soup.

5 Add the scallions, white pepper, sesame oil, and chili oil if using. Taste and adjust white pepper, vinegar, and salt to taste. Add cilantro to garnish and for added flavor. Serve immediately.

Yield: Serves 4