Hot and Sour Soup

Ingredients

• 1/3 cupmushrooms, shiitake, sliced
• 1/3 cupwood ear mushrooms, dried or fresh, sliced
• 2/3 cupsilken tofu, cubed
• 1/2 cupbbq pork, char siu, sliced, to top the soup
• 2 1/2 cupschicken stock
• 1/2 tspsalt
• 1/4 tspsugar
• 1 tspsesame oil
• 1/4 tspwhite pepper, ground
• 1/2 tsphot sauce, add more at the table if you like it hotter
• 1 1/2 tbsprice vinegar, adjust to taste
• 1 tspsoy sauce
• 1 tbspcornstarch, whisked with the 2 tbsp water to thicken
• 2 tbspwater, for the cornstarch slurry
• 1egg, lightly beaten, poured in at the end for silky ribbons
• 1/4 cupscallions, sliced, to top

Method

1. 1

   If your wood ear mushrooms are dried, cover them with warm water and leave them for 20 minutes until soft, then drain and slice. Fresh ones only need slicing.

2. 2

   The soup comes together in about 5 minutes, so prepare it all first. Whisk the cornstarch with the water in a small bowl, beat the egg in another, and measure the salt, sugar, sesame oil, white pepper, hot sauce, vinegar and soy sauce into a cup.

3. 3

   Bring the chicken stock to a boil in a wok or large saucepan over high heat.

4. 4

   Tip in the cup of seasonings and stir for a few seconds.

5. 5

   Add the tofu and both mushrooms, bring back to a gentle simmer and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until the mushrooms soften. Stir gently — silken tofu breaks easily.

6. 6

   Stir the cornstarch mixture again and pour it in slowly, stirring, until the soup is as thick as you like, about 1 minute.

7. 7

   Pour the beaten egg into the soup in a thin stream, stirring gently for about 8 seconds, so it sets into silky ribbons.

8. 8

   Ladle into bowls and top with the sliced barbecue pork and scallions.

Nutrition per serving