Hot and Sour Soup ("Suan La Tang") was not something my mom ever made at home, and the very few times we had it was always in a restaurant. But here in SoCal (and the rest of the U.S., for that matter), Hot & Sour Soup is a staple, ubiquitous item on the menu of many a Chinese restaurant. I had always assumed that this soup originated from Szechuan province, which is known for its spicy dishes, but I'm not totally sure as there seem to be some regional variations, including one with pig's blood, which is soooo not my cup of tea. The "hot" in this soup comes from a generous seasoning of white pepper (not from chilies) and the sour from vinegar. I keep the vinegar on the mild side in my recipe - that way you can always embellish your own individual serving according to your own taste. If you're vegetarian, just substitute the chicken broth with vegetable stock and omit the pork.
Ingredients:
2 cups of dried shiitake mushrooms (or 1 cup dried plus 1 cup fresh, sliced)
1 cup shredded, dried wood ear fungus (or 2 cups whole reconstituted)
1/2 cup dried lily buds (optional)
8 oz. vacuum-packed bamboo shoots, drained & julienned.
Ingredients:
2 cups of dried shiitake mushrooms (or 1 cup dried plus 1 cup fresh, sliced)
1 cup shredded, dried wood ear fungus (or 2 cups whole reconstituted)
1/2 cup dried lily buds (optional)
8 oz. vacuum-packed bamboo shoots, drained & julienned.
1 cup shredded carrots
2 14-oz. pkgs. soft tofu, diced into 1" cubes.
1 1/2 lbs. pork butt or country ribs, cut into thin strips
Marinade for pork:
2 tbsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. sesame oil
1 tbsp. cornstarch
Soup stock:
6 quarts (24 cups) water
7 tbsp. Totole chicken base
1 tbsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. sesame oil
1 tsp. white pepper
1/2 cup of chopped cilantro & stems*
4 scallions, chopped
Vinegar Seasoning:
1 cup Chinese black vinegar
2 tsp. sugar
1 tbsp. sesame oil
Cornstarch Slurry:
3/4 cup cornstarch
3/4 cup of reserved shiitake mushroom soaking liquid or water
4 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tbsp. white pepper
2 14-oz. pkgs. soft tofu, diced into 1" cubes.
1 1/2 lbs. pork butt or country ribs, cut into thin strips
Marinade for pork:
2 tbsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. sesame oil
1 tbsp. cornstarch
Soup stock:
6 quarts (24 cups) water
7 tbsp. Totole chicken base
1 tbsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. sesame oil
1 tsp. white pepper
1/2 cup of chopped cilantro & stems*
4 scallions, chopped
Vinegar Seasoning:
1 cup Chinese black vinegar
2 tsp. sugar
1 tbsp. sesame oil
Cornstarch Slurry:
3/4 cup cornstarch
3/4 cup of reserved shiitake mushroom soaking liquid or water
4 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tbsp. white pepper
Extra chopped scallion and cilantro for garnish
Extra white pepper, on the side
Black and/or red vinegar on the side
1. Place the dried shiitakes, shredded wood ear fungus and lily buds in 3 separate bowls and cover with hot tap water. Let soak at least 30 minutes or until they are reconstituted. Cut off stems from the shiitakes and slice the caps; reserve the mushroom soaking liquid. Cut off the tough ends of the lily buds after they are softened.
2. In the meantime, slice pork into thin strips and mix well with marinade ingredients in a bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.
3. Dice tofu, julienne bamboo shoots, chop cilantro & scallion, and set aside.
4. In a large stock pot, bring 24 cups of water plus 7 tbsp. of Totole chicken base (or just substitute with low sodium canned chicken broth of the same quantity), 1 tbsp. kosher salt and bring to a boil. Add 1/2 cup of chopped cilantro (mostly stems), 4 chopped scallions, 1 tsp. sesame oil, and 1 tsp. white pepper. Bring to a boil.
5. Add diced tofu, shiitakes, wood ear, lily buds, shredded carrots and bamboo. Bring soup up to a boil, reduce heat, cover & simmer 15 minutes.
6. Stir in pork; bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer 10 minutes. Bring soup back up to a boil and add beaten egg, stirring constantly. Bring heat back to a boil, add cornstarch slurry, stirring constantly until soup is thickened (about 30 seconds).
1. Place the dried shiitakes, shredded wood ear fungus and lily buds in 3 separate bowls and cover with hot tap water. Let soak at least 30 minutes or until they are reconstituted. Cut off stems from the shiitakes and slice the caps; reserve the mushroom soaking liquid. Cut off the tough ends of the lily buds after they are softened.
2. In the meantime, slice pork into thin strips and mix well with marinade ingredients in a bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.
3. Dice tofu, julienne bamboo shoots, chop cilantro & scallion, and set aside.
4. In a large stock pot, bring 24 cups of water plus 7 tbsp. of Totole chicken base (or just substitute with low sodium canned chicken broth of the same quantity), 1 tbsp. kosher salt and bring to a boil. Add 1/2 cup of chopped cilantro (mostly stems), 4 chopped scallions, 1 tsp. sesame oil, and 1 tsp. white pepper. Bring to a boil.
5. Add diced tofu, shiitakes, wood ear, lily buds, shredded carrots and bamboo. Bring soup up to a boil, reduce heat, cover & simmer 15 minutes.
6. Stir in pork; bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer 10 minutes. Bring soup back up to a boil and add beaten egg, stirring constantly. Bring heat back to a boil, add cornstarch slurry, stirring constantly until soup is thickened (about 30 seconds).
7. Stir in the vinegar seasoning and up to an additional 1 tbsp. white pepper (according to your taste). Turn off heat.
7. Pour soup into serving bowls and garnish with cilantro & scallion. Serve with black and/or red vinegar and white pepper on the side, in case anyone wants to add more.
Add 1 tbsp. white pepper, stir to combine and turn off heat.
7. Pour soup into serving bowls and garnish with cilantro & scallion. Serve with black and/or red vinegar and white pepper on the side, in case anyone wants to add more.
Shredded dried black wood ear fungus and dried lily buds. If you don't have a Chinese market in your area, it's ok to omit these ingredients. Just use extra dried shiitake mushrooms, which seem more readily available these days.
These are dried sliced shiitakes from Costco. Very convenient, but some still have a tough stem end, which I will slice off after they've been reconstituted. Otherwise, just use whole dried shiitakes and stem & slice after they have softened in hot water.
Soaking the dried lily buds, shredded black wood ear fungus and shiitakes in hot tap water.
Country ribs or pork butt are ideal for this recipe. Trim the fat and cut against the grain into thin strips.
Toss marinade ingredients with the pork, cover with plastic wrap & refrigerate until ready to use.
Chop the cilantro & scallions.
Julienne the bamboo shoots.
I use the vacuum-packed bamboo shoots found in the refrigerated section at 99 Ranch Market. If all else fails, use the canned stuff. But it just isn't as good.
Once the lily buds are softened, line them up and trim off the tough ends.
Use two 14-oz. packages of soft tofu (especially if they're of the Kung Fu Panda variety, lol!)
Cube the tofu.
Bring the water, chicken base and salt to a boil.
My favorite chicken base: Totole
Add 1/4 cup of chopped cilantro stems/leaves, 3 chopped scallions, 1 tsp. sesame oil, 1 tsp. white pepper.
Add shiitakes, wood ear, tofu, shredded carrots and lily buds.
Vinegar seasoning: Chinese black vinegar, sugar, sesame oil.
Add the pork to the soup and simmer 10 minutes.
4 beaten eggs & cornstarch slurry (1 cup reserved shiitake mushroom soaking liquid and 1 1/2 cups of cornstarch, well blended).
With soup on boil, add beaten eggs and stir constantly. Eggs should look like streamers.
Add the cornstarch slurry and boil until the soup has thickened, stirring constantly.
Stir in vinegar seasoning.
Garnish with cilantro, scallion and extra vinegar and white pepper on the side.
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