Hot and Sour Soup

Original variation by David Dyer-Bennet of traditional Chineese recipe.

If particularly large quantities of pork and fungus are used relative to the amount of broth, this recipe is sometimes known as “Basian pepper stew.”

Ingredients

1 qt chicken broth

4 oz pork; remove most fat and shred

2T cornstarch; dissolve in 1/4c cold water

1 egg; beat lightly

2 scallions; chop thinly for garnish

Hot sesame oil; to taste (“until Pamela screams”)

Group A

6 dried black mushrooms. Soak in boiling water for 15 minutes, then remove stems and slice thinly across the cap. Add soaking water to chicken broth.

2/3 c dry black fungus. Measure loosely packed. Soak for 15 minutes in boiling water, then pick out hard sections and slice into thin strips. Discard soaking water.

12 golden needles. Soak 20 minutes in cold water. Tear off hard ends, break into pieces about an inch long. Discard soaking water.

1/4 c preserved pickled vegetable. Optional. Rinse and shred finely.

Group B

8 oz bean curd. Slice into 1/4″ sticks

3 T distilled white vinegar

1 T light soy sauce

1 t sugar

1 t pepper

Method

Bring chicken broth (with mushroom water added) to a boil. Add group A, bring back to a boil, and boil gently for 8 minutes.

Add pork, cook for 1 minute.

Add group B and cook for 30 seconds.

Add cornstarch dissolved in water, stir thoroughly. Immediately remove from heat and pour in beaten egg slowly while stirring the soup (this is an “egg drop”).

Add hot oil to taste (or until Pamela screams).

Serve with chopped scallions as garnish.