HOT AND SOUR SOUP

 

HOT AND SOUR SOUP

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If you want a real, authentic Hot & Sour Chinese soup, go look it up

in a cookbook.  This is my version, distilled from several recipes,

but missing several ingredients that I'm sure some would say were

absolutely essential.  The quantities below are approximate, and you

should vary them to suit you.  I had this last night, and my wife was

surprised that the kids each ate three bowls, instead of the stuff

*she* made (I liked the stuff she made, but I had three bowls of the

soup in addition to her stuff).

2 T oil

2-3 oz. fresh mushrooms

6-8 c. stock

fresh ginger (size of US quarter, 3/4 inch round, 1/8 inch thick)

small can of sliced bamboo shoots (3 oz?), cut lengthwise into three, drained

8 oz. tofu (or a package), sliced 2" X 1/4" X 1/4", drained

2 T vinegar

2 T soy sauce

1/4 t white pepper

Tabasco sauce or chili oil (optional)

3 T corn starch

3 T water

1 egg, beaten (eliminate for vegans)

2 green onions, cut into thin circles

1 T chinese-style dark sesame oil

Slice the mushrooms and saute with oil in the soup pot (you can

eliminate fat by just tossing the mushrooms in the stock without

sauteing them, but they shrink something awful!).  Add the stock (I

used ch****n, which is traditional, but this is cross-posted to

rec.food.veg, so I can't say that).  Most people will want the stock

to have salt, but remember that the soy sauce is salty.  Add the

ginger, heat to a boil, and simmer gently for 20 minutes.  At some

point you may wish to discard the ginger so some unsuspecting soul

doesn't bite into it and get a mouthful of heat.  You may wish to do

the rest differently, but my wife is always in the kitchen preparing

another last-minute dish, so I like to get all my ingredients

together and ready.  Get five small bowls.  Put the vinegar, soy

sauce, ground white pepper and (optional) hot sauce in one and mix.

Put the corn starch and water in the next and mix.  Put the

(optional) egg in the next and beat lightly.  Put the green onion in

the next, and the tofu and matchstick-cut bamboo shoots in the last.

A few minutes before you are ready to eat, turn the heat to medium.

Add the tofu and bamboo shoots and wait until heated.  Add the soy

sauce mixture, heat until boiling.  Stir corn starch mixture and add

to rapidly boiling soup.  Boil for a long minute until it thickens.

Reduce heat.  If using egg, stir the soup in one direction until it's

moving pretty well.  Dribble the egg in, forming long strands.  Let

the strands firm (20 seconds).  Add sesame oil and stir.  You can

float the green onions on top, or stir them in.  Serve, with chili

oil available for those who like it hotter.

FROM:  Terri Huggett <huggett@sequent.com>

Saved from the net.  Don't know if all the ingredients are easy to

find.  Hope it helps.

Terri Huggett

huggett@sequent.com

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From: harkins@iraq.crd.ge.com (Cynthia K. Harkins)

Path: iraq!harkins

Hot & Sour Soup

Ingredients:

. 7 1/2 cups chicken broth - use canned over cubes

. 1/4 - 1/2 lb. pork - shredded

Marinade:

1/2 tsp.  cornstarch

1 tsp. sesame oil

1/2 tsp. sherry

. 3 cups hot water

. 20 small dried tree ears

. 20-30 dried tiger lily buds

. 8-12 dried Chinese (black) mushrooms

. 6-12 oz. fresh mushrooms - sliced

. 1-2 cans water chestnuts - sliced

. 1 carrot - shredded

. 1 can bamboo shoots - shredded (optional)

. 1/2 - 3/4 lb. tofu - shredded

. 6 tbsp. cornstarch

. 6 tbsp. COLD water

. 1/4 cup Worcestershire Sauce

. 1/4 cup Vinegar

. 1 egg - beaten

. 1/2 - 1 tsp. black pepper

. 1/2 - 1 tsp. white pepper

. 2 - 4 tbsp. brown sugar (optional)

. 1 tbsp. sesame oil

. Tabasco sauce (to taste)

Directions:

Preparation:

1. Start heating chicken broth on low heat.

2. Mix marinade ingredients and add shredded pork.  Let stand

at least 20 minutes.

3. Add tree ears, tiger lily buds, and Chinese mushrooms to hot

water and let soak for 20 minutes.

4. While the meat is marinating and the dried ingredients are

rehydrating, slice and shred the vegetables and tofu.

5. When the dried ingredients are done soaking, remove the stems

from the Chinese mushrooms and slice them.  Remove the stems 

from the tiger lily buds and remove any hard spots from the

tree ears.  If the tree ears are too large to fit on a soup

spoon cut them.

6. Mix 6 tbsp. cornstarch with 6 tbsp. COLD water.

Making the soup:

1. Bring the chicken broth to a full boil and reduce heat to

medium.

2. Add all of the vegetables (tree ears, tiger lily buds, Chinese

mushrooms, fresh mushrooms, water chestnuts, carrot, and bamboo)

and simmer for 3-4 minutes.

3. Add pork (with marinade) and tofu and wait until soup is

boiling.

4. Add Worcestershire sauce and vinegar.

5. Stir cornstarch/water paste and SLOWLY stir into soup.  Wait

until soup thickens slightly.

6. Stir beaten egg into soup.

7. Add black pepper, white pepper, brown sugar, sesame oil, and

Tabasco.

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From: gallen@apollo.HP.COM (Gary Allen)

HOTSOUR-SOUP-2(SP)       USENET Cookbook       HOTSOUR-SOUP-2(SP)

HOT AND SOUR SOUP

HOTSOUR-SOUP-2 - Popular Szechuan Chinese soup

I learned this recipe while taking Szechuan cooking classes.

This soup is very popular in this country.  It comes in a

great many varieties, and can range from very mild to very

spicy, and from a soup to almost a stew.  This particular

recipe is a medium spicy soup that should be within most

peoples' tolerance range.

INGREDIENTS (serves 6-8)

1 cup     bean curd, cut into small cubes.

1/4 cup   bamboo shoot, shredded

1/4 cup   golden needles (tiger lily pods)

2 Tbsp    wood ear fungus shredded

1/4 cup   black mushroom

1         egg, well beaten

4 oz      very lean pork, shredded

MIXTURE A

1 tsp     light soy sauce

1 tsp     cornstarch

MIXTURE B

6 cups    chicken stock

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp     MSG (optional)

1 tsp     sugar

MIXTURE C

3 Tbsp    cornstarch

3 Tbsp    water

MIXTURE D

2 Tbsp    light soy sauce

2 Tbsp    vinegar

1 tsp     sesame oil

1 tsp     chili oil

1/2 tsp   black pepper (fresh ground)

1/2 tsp   white pepper (fresh ground)

3 Tbsp    scallion, or green onion, chopped

1 Tbsp    fresh ginger, chopped  (Do not use powdered

ginger).

PROCEDURE

(1)  Put the golden needles, wood ear, and black mush-

room to soak in separate bowls of water.  It takes

30 to 60 minutes for them to be ready. After soak-

ing, the wood ear should be a flexible and flat

material. It may have a few hard lumps; cut these

off and discard them.  Discard the soaking

liquids.

(2)  Meanwhile, prepare mixtures A,C, and D.  Place

their ingredients in bowls, and mix well.  When

mixing with cornstarch, add the liquid slowly to

the cornstarch.  This avoids getting undissolved

cornstarch balls.

(3)  Shred the pork.  This pork must be very lean.  The

meat portion of pork cutlets or the center of pork

chops are good sources.  Shredding means cutting

the pork into pieces about the size of wooden

matches.  (1/4 inch square by 1-2 inches) This is

most easily done by slicing the pork, then laying

the slices overlapping each other at an angle and

cutting these at a reverse angle.

(4)  Marinate the pork in mixture A for 15 minutes.

Then use 2 Tbsp oil to stir-fry the meat until the

color changes.  Set the meat aside.

(5)  Shred and cube the other ingredients.

(6)  Bring mixture B to a boil and add the black mush-

room, bamboo shoots, wood ear, bean curd, and gol-

den noodles.  Cook for 3 minutes.  Add the meat,

then add mixture C.  Add the beaten egg while

stirring to disperse the egg in sheets and fila-

ments.  Add mixture D, and cook another minute.

(7)  Serve hot.

NOTES

Bean curd must be fresh.  If you cannot get it fresh, omit

it.

You will need at least 6 bowls (soup bowls are OK), 1 large

bowl, and either a two-handled wok or a large sauce pan.

Don't attempt this with a one-handled wok because it will be

filled with boiling soup and is almost certain to spill.

Hot and sour soup is a generic soup type, so you can make

many variations on this soup.  To control the spiciness,

adjust the ratio between mixture D and mixture B.  Changing

the ratios inside mixture D changes the nature of the soup.

Finally, you can add a lot more ingredients if you want.

The critical ingredients are the golden needles, bamboo

(although almost any variety can be good), mushrooms (or

fungus of some sort), and pork shreds.  Experiment with dif-

ferent kinds of fungus and bamboo.  Adding other mild veget-

ables is usually a success.

RATING

Difficulty: easy but tedious.  Time: 1-2 hours (lots of

preparation, little cooking) Precision: measure the

ingredients.

HOT AND SOUR SOUP

HOTSOUR-SOUP-1 - Szechuan hot and sour soup

I have seldom been to a Chinese  restaurant  without  having

hot  and sour soup, and it was pleasant to discover how easy

it is to make it at home. We have fixed this by itself as  a

dinner  for  two  with enough left over for lunch.  Particu-

larly when we add extra meat and vegetables, we  find  it  a

very hearty soup which is surprisingly easy to make.

INGREDIENTS (Serves 4-6)

1 Tbsp    peanut oil (or other vegetable oil)

1         garlic clove

1 tsp     ginger root (aboutr 2 slices)

1/2 cup   boneless pork loin, shredded

1 1/2 Tbsp

soy sauce or tamari

1/2 cup   bamboo shoots, shredded

6         dried shiitake mushrooms

10        dried lily buds (also called golden needles)

12        dried tree ear fungus (also called cloud ears)

4 cups    chicken broth (canned or homemade; I  usually  use

canned)

1 Tbsp    dry sherry

3 Tbsp    red wine vinegar

1 Tbsp    cornstarch

1/4 cup   water

1         tofu pad (a package generally contains 2 pads)

1/4 cup   green onions

2         eggs

1 Tbsp    toasted sesame oil

1/4-1 tsp chili oil

1/4 tsp   white pepper

salt and more pepper

PROCEDURE

(1)  Rehydrate the dried ingredients (15  minutes:   in

lukewarm  water  for the shiitakes, and in boiling

water for the lily buds and tree ears).  Heat  the

chicken broth (if it's canned, prepare it).

(2)  Mince the garlic and ginger root and combine them.

Shred  the  pork  loin.   Shred the bamboo shoots.

Combine the cornstarch and the  water.   Chop  the

green onions.  Lightly beat the eggs.

(3)  Heat oil in  wok  (medium),  add  the  garlic  and

ginger, stirring 30 seconds.

(4)  Add the pork, cooking  until  it  loses  its  pink color

(5)  Add the soy sauce, cook for 1 minute more.

(6)  Add bamboo shoots, shiitakes, lily buds, tree  ear

fungi, stir quickly for 1 minute.

(7)  Stir in chicken broth, sherry, and vinegar.

(8)  Stir cornstarch/water mix one last time and add it

to the soup.

(9)  Add the tofu and bring the soup to a boil.

(10) Turn the heat to low, add the green onions.

(11) Add the beaten eggs in  a  slow  stream,  stirring

several times.

(12) Turn off the heat and add the  sesame  oil,  chili

oil,  white  pepper.  Season  to  taste  and serve

immediately.

NOTES

Like many Chinese recipes, it takes longer  to  prepare  the

ingredients  than it does to cook the soup.  As I understand

it, hot and sour soup, traditionally, is a Northern  Chinese

way  of  using  leftovers.   Therefore, there are many, many

variations possible, particularly in the dried  ingredients.

We  never  make  it exactly the same way twice.  I recommend

using the shiitakes at least; most  any  grocery  store  has

them.  You  may  find tree ears and lily buds in an oriental

food store.

RATING

Difficulty: easy to moderate Time: about an hour  Precision:

no need to measure.

Hot and Sour soup

Ingredients

o  1-2cm fresh root ginger

o  1 medium sized hot green chilli (cored and seeded)

o  2 cloves garlic

o  2 1/2 cups water

o  1 vegetable stock cube (2 cup size)

o  Juice of one lemon

o  1 tbsp vinegar

o  3 tbsp dark soy sauce

o  1/3 tsp dried ginger

o  1 tsp five spice powder

o  4 spring onions

o  1 medium sized red sweet bell pepper

o  1 medium sized yellow sweet bell pepper

o  225g tin water chestnuts

o  225g tin bamboo shoots

Method

Chop the ginger, chilli pepper and garlic finely. Simmer for ten

minutes in 2 1/2 cups of water.

Core, seed and chop the red and yellow peppers into strips.

Slice the water chestnuts and bamboo shoots. Add these and

the other remaining ingredients. Cook until the vegetables are

cooked, but still crisp. Adjust the seasoning to sour and spicy,

and make the liquid up to 7-8 cups (around 3 pints).

Serves 4 as a starter to a chinese meal.

Units

All units and measures are metric American. A UK imperial measure

version is available from foster@jumbly.enet.dec.com

HOT & SOUR SOUP

This is a recipe from a good chinese restaurant in Cincinnati.

1 Qt chicken broth

2 oz shredded pork tenderloin

2 oz shredded bean curd

2 Tblsp shredded bamboo shoots

2 Tblsp shredded cloud ears

2 Tblsp dry lily buds

1 Tblsp fresh ground black pepper

1 tsp salt

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp dark soy sauce

3 Tblsp cider or rice wine vinegar

2-3 tsp cornstarch dissolved in 2 Tblsp water

1 egg, beaten

few drops sesame oil

2 Tblsp minced scallions or green onions

In a heavy kettle, bring the broth to a boil. Meanwhile soften the

shredded cloud ears and dry lily buds in water to cover. Drain well

Add the pork, bean curd, bamboo shoots, cloud ears and lily buds to 

the boiling stock. Bring again to a boil and stir in the pepper, salt,

soy sauce, and vinegar. Slowly stir in the dissolved cornstarch until 

desired thickness. Slowly pour the egg into the soup, whisking constantly

to form thin strands of egg. Remove from heat and add oil. Ladle into

bowls and garnish with minced scallions. Serves 4. Preperation time: ~20min

Cooking time: ~20 min

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