Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Place the tree ear, black mushrooms, and tiger lily stems in a bowl and cover it with hot or boiling water. Let sit for 30 minutes or until tender
- Rinse and squeeze out excess water from the mushrooms, fungi, and tiger lily stems. Cut off stems and any rigid portions. Slice the mushrooms into thin slices. Shred the tiger lily stems by finger and cut them into lengths of no more than 2 inches.
- Wash the white mushrooms, cut off the stems, and slice them into 1/8-inch pieces.
- Add oil to the wok and add the shredded pork. Stir fry pork until it begins to turn white. Add the white mushrooms and continue to stir fry. Cook until tender, and add the soy sauce. Add the black and tree ear mushrooms, the tiger lily stems, and the bamboo shoots. Cook, stirring for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the chicken broth. Add the red wine vinegar and dark soy sauce.
- Mix the cornstarch and cold water, stirring well. Add to the broth. When thickened, add the bean curd and bring to a boil. Turn off once boiling and let sit for a minute. Add the eggs in a thin stream while stirring constantly. The eggs should blend into the broth and not become lumpy.
- Add the sesame oil and the white pepper. Stir well so the white pepper dissolves. White pepper is more intense than black pepper and must be fully dissolved. Stir carefully so as to not break up the bean curd.
- Add the soup to individual bowls and garnish with the green onion and cilantro. Serve immediately
Authentic Hot and Sour Soup is one of my favorite foods. This recipe is so good you’ll make it dinner on many nights. The recipe has a great balance of the spice from the white pepper and sourness from the red wine vinegar, but I tend to like more robust flavors, so many times I’ll increase the white pepper and the vinegar, but do it carefully! The first time I made this was in a progressive dinner with my family. I was designated for the soup. When I made the soup, I misread the directions and added more than double the white pepper. I thought it was the best thing I ever tasted, but only one person could tolerate the heat. Lesson learned!
