wood ear (remember to presoak if using), thinly sliced
1 (225g) can bamboo shoots, drained (optional)
¼ cup white vinegar
2 tsp sugar
¼ cup low-sodium soy sauce
0.5 cm slice of ginger
1 tsp chili garlic sauce
¼ cup cornstarch
2 large eggs, whisked
225g soft tofu cut into 1 cm cubes
4 green onions, thinly sliced
1 tsp sesame oil
white pepper
salt
Note: The recipe contains three different fungi. All 3 fungi are optional, however you should add at least one. Preference is Shiitake > Cremini > Wood ear. Ideally, you should at the very least add Shiitake or Cremini. If you can add all three, add all three.
Instructions
In a large stock pot, combine the broth, mushrooms, bamboo shoots (if using), ginger. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Lower heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
Remove ginger. Add white vinegar, sugar, soy sauce, and chili garlic sauce.
In a small bowl, whisk ¼ cup of water with the cornstarch until smooth. Once the soup is simmering, stir in the cornstarch mixture and cook for about 1 minute, until the soup thickens.
Bring soup back to a rolling boil. While stirring the soup in a circular motion, slowly drizzle in the whisked eggs to create delicate ribbons.
Stir in most of the green onions (reserve a little for garnish), sesame oil, and tofu. Add a pinch of white pepper. Taste the soup. Adjust:
Salt for saltiness/flavor.
White pepper for spiciness or chili garlic sauce to make it a lot more spicy.
Sugar if too sour.
Vinegar if not sour enough.
Ladle into bowls and garnish with the remaining green onions. Serve immediately.
Disclaimer: although no recipe I share will ever explicitly say to add msg just know I always add a little bit (usually at the end, during the tasting and salting phase) to whatever I make.
I just made something very similar 3 weeks ago! I have 2 recommendations:
if you have a pressure cooker, make the chicken broth yourself with either chicken bones or chicken feet. The protein-rich broth will make the soup richer, and you might be able to use less starch.
instead of white vinegar, try to find chinkiang vinegar at an Asian market. It’s a dark Chinese vinegar with a distinctive flavor
Yeah I have chinese vinegar. A while back I made it both ways and I couldnt tell a difference which is why these days I just use white vinegar since its cheaper and so I can save the chinese vinegar for more important things like dumplings :D
Looks great. Wish you a quick recovery! Care to share the recipe?
Here’s the recipe I used
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1TcF_bgHwwQQ_HUblSQpWcalAy3FtFrxx2y64vQUlobk/edit?usp=sharing
Here’s the markdown, inline version:
Hot and Sour Soup
Ingredients
Note: The recipe contains three different fungi. All 3 fungi are optional, however you should add at least one. Preference is Shiitake > Cremini > Wood ear. Ideally, you should at the very least add Shiitake or Cremini. If you can add all three, add all three.
Instructions
In a large stock pot, combine the broth, mushrooms, bamboo shoots (if using), ginger. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Lower heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
Remove ginger. Add white vinegar, sugar, soy sauce, and chili garlic sauce.
In a small bowl, whisk ¼ cup of water with the cornstarch until smooth. Once the soup is simmering, stir in the cornstarch mixture and cook for about 1 minute, until the soup thickens.
Bring soup back to a rolling boil. While stirring the soup in a circular motion, slowly drizzle in the whisked eggs to create delicate ribbons.
Stir in most of the green onions (reserve a little for garnish), sesame oil, and tofu. Add a pinch of white pepper. Taste the soup. Adjust:
Ladle into bowls and garnish with the remaining green onions. Serve immediately.
Disclaimer: although no recipe I share will ever explicitly say to add msg just know I always add a little bit (usually at the end, during the tasting and salting phase) to whatever I make.
Thank you!
I just made something very similar 3 weeks ago! I have 2 recommendations:
if you have a pressure cooker, make the chicken broth yourself with either chicken bones or chicken feet. The protein-rich broth will make the soup richer, and you might be able to use less starch.
instead of white vinegar, try to find chinkiang vinegar at an Asian market. It’s a dark Chinese vinegar with a distinctive flavor
Thank you!
Yeah I have chinese vinegar. A while back I made it both ways and I couldnt tell a difference which is why these days I just use white vinegar since its cheaper and so I can save the chinese vinegar for more important things like dumplings :D
Ah yeah, I’d you can’t tell the difference then I agree, save it for other dishes. It is pricier than white vinegar