Last Updated on June 27, 2024 by Lisa Keys
hot and sour soup
If you have been following this blog from the beginning you already know it is about me stepping out of my comfort zone. Being such a private person exposing myself in a blog is a huge jump into a world I consider uncomfortable.
Both my kids made stepping outside the comfort zone seem easy. They relished life off the beaten path venturing into worlds of unchartered territory. My goodness they both swam with sharks. William in the Pacific doing some night spear fishing (yikes) and Caitlin in the Caribbean collecting data for a coral reef project. Suffice to say their brave bones did not come from me.
They both have adventurous palates, too. While I easily forego dishes like balut (A balut or balot is a developing duck embryo that is boiled alive and eaten in the shell. ), cow tongue and snails my children dive right in. They will try anything at least once. For the competitive cook in me these children are a blessing testing my experiments in the kitchen.
This week begins the Chinese New Year. It's snowing like nobody's business in my neck of the woods and my husband has been working the snow blower. To warm him up I made his favorite hot & sour soup. We love Asian food and often judge a restaurant by how well the chef prepares this dish. It's tricky business to get a balance of flavors and a good broth consistency.
Hot and Sour Soup
Ingredients
- 6 ounces thinly sliced pork cut into slivers ( boneless pork chop works)
- 3 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce divided
- 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil divided
- 1 teaspoon corn starch divided
- 1 ounce dried shitake mushrooms
- 1 ounce dried wood ear mushrooms
- 1 ounce dried lily buds cut into 2-inch lengths
- 4 green onions white and green parts, chopped
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon grated ginger
- ½ teaspoon Asian 5 spice powder
- 6 cups chicken broth home made or store-bought
- 1 (12 oz.) package extra-firm tofu, diced
- ¼ cup Chinkiang vinegar black vinegar
- ½ to 1 tablespoon Sriracha sauce
- 1 teaspoon white pepper
- 1 egg
- chopped fresh cilantro optional
Instructions
- In bowl, marinate pork in 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 tablespoon sesame oil and ½ teaspoon cornstarch for 30 minutes.
- In large bowl, rehydrate mushrooms and lily buds in hot water (just enough to cover them) for 30 minutes.
- In saucepan, over medium high heat, cook pork, green onions, garlic and ginger, stirring, for 1 minute. Stir in 5-spice. Add broth; bring to a simmer.
- Add tofu, mushrooms, lily buds, vinegar, sriracha, white pepper, remaining 2 tablespoons of soy sauce and 1 tablespoon of sesame oil. Bring to a simmer and adjust seasoning to your taste with vinegar and sriracha. (if you find the vinegar to harsh you can balance out the flavor with 1 or 2 teaspoons of sugar).
- Beat the egg with the remaining ½ teaspoon of cornstarch. With the soup at a simmer slowly pour the egg in a thin steady stream. Let set 10 to 15 seconds to cook before stirring.
- Season with kosher salt, if necessary and serve topped with additional chopped scallions and cilantro.
Nancy says
This looks like the real deal! My kids crave hot and sour soup -- like you, it's their measure of a Chinese restaurant 's worth. Migh give this a try for Chinese New Year (but no chicken feet for me!).
lisakeys64 says
Not sure how authentic my version of the soup is but it is quite tasty. Enjoy!
Franklin Gadon says
Thank you for mentioning 'balut' in your blog. Being a Filipino who migrated in the US it us heartwarming that you know a unique dish from that small country in Southeast Asia. Kudos!
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lisakeys64 says
Thank you so much for your comment. My son was a Navy Corpsman who worked with some Filipino nurses. They introduced him to many delicious dishes, but balut was the most adventurous.
Sallie Smith says
This looks sooo goood!
lisakeys64 says
the soup is sooo good and nourishing with all that gelatin---anyway it looks way better than the chicken foot (LOL)
Louis Matino (@LouMatino) says
I agree the Hot and Sour Soup is a good barometer for the overall quality of the restaurant.
lisakeys64 says
we also measure restaurants by the quality of their French fries and calamari