Subject: RECIPE: hot and sour soup
From: dbb@fluke (Dave Bartley)
Date: 8 Aug 86 05:11:06 GMT
Newsgroups: mod.recipes

Copyright (C) 1986 USENET Community Trust
Permission to copy without fee all or part of this material is granted
provided that the copies are not made or distributed for direct commercial
advantage, the USENET copyright notice and the title of the newsgroup and
its date appear, and notice is given that copying is by permission of
the USENET Community Trust or the original contributor.

.RH MOD.RECIPES-SOURCE HOTSOUR-SOUP-1 SP "4 Mar 86" 1986
.RZ "HOT AND SOUR SOUP" "Szechuan hot and sour soup"
I have seldom been to a Chinese restaurant without having hot and sour soup,
and it was pleasant to discover how easy it is to make it at home. We have
fixed this by itself as a dinner for two with enough left over for lunch.
Particularly when we add extra meat and vegetables, we find it a very hearty
soup which is surprisingly easy to make.
.IH "Serves 4\-6"
.IG "1 Tbsp" "peanut oil" "15 ml"
(or other vegetable oil)
.IG "1" "garlic clove"
.IG "1 tsp" "ginger root" "5 ml"
(aboutr 2 slices)
.IG "\(12 cup" "boneless pork loin," "125 g"
shredded
.IG "1\(12 Tbsp" "soy sauce or tamari" "25 ml"
.IG "\(12 cup" "bamboo shoots," "140 g"
shredded
.IG "6" "dried shiitake mushrooms"
.IG "10" "dried lily buds"
(also called golden needles)
.IG "12" "dried tree ear fungus"
(also called cloud ears)
.IG "4 cups" "chicken broth" "1 liter"
(canned or homemade; I usually use canned)
.IG "1 Tbsp" "dry sherry" "15 ml"
.IG "3 Tbsp" "red wine vinegar" "50 ml"
.IG "1 Tbsp" "cornstarch" "15 ml"
.IG "\(14 cup" "water" "60 ml"
.IG "1" "tofu pad"
(a package generally contains 2 pads)
.IG "\(14 cup" "green onions" "50 g"
.IG "2" "eggs"
.IG "1 Tbsp" "toasted sesame oil" "15 ml"
.IG "\(14\-1 tsp" "chili oil" "1\-5 ml"
.IG "\(14 tsp" "white pepper" "1 ml"
.IG "" "salt and more pepper"
.PH
.SK 1
Rehydrate the dried ingredients (15 minutes:  in lukewarm water for the
shiitakes, and in boiling water for the lily buds and tree ears).
Heat the chicken broth (if it's canned, prepare it). 
.SK 2
Mince the garlic and ginger root and combine them.
Shred the pork loin.
Shred the bamboo shoots.
Combine the cornstarch and the water.
Chop the green onions.
Lightly beat the eggs.
.SK 3
Heat oil in wok (medium), add the garlic and ginger, stirring 30 seconds. 
.SK 4
Add the pork, cooking until it loses its pink color.
.SK 5
Add the soy sauce, cook for 1 minute more.
.SK 6
Add bamboo shoots, shiitakes, lily buds, tree ear fungi, stir quickly for 1
minute.
.SK 7
Stir in chicken broth, sherry, and vinegar.
.SK 8
Stir cornstarch/water mix one last time and add it to the soup.
.SK 9
Add the tofu and bring the soup to a boil.
.SK 10
Turn the heat to low, add the green onions.
.SK 11
Add the beaten eggs in a slow stream, stirring several times.
.SK 12
Turn off the heat and add the sesame oil, chili oil, white pepper. Season to
taste and serve immediately.
.NX
Like many Chinese recipes, it takes longer to prepare the ingredients than it
does to cook the soup.  As I understand it, hot and sour soup, traditionally,
is a Northern Chinese way of using leftovers.  Therefore, there are many, many
variations possible, particularly in the dried ingredients.  We never make it
exactly the same way twice.
I recommend using
the shiitakes at least; most any grocery store has them. You may find tree
ears and lily buds in an oriental food store.
.SH RATING
.I Difficulty:
easy to moderate
.I Time:
about an hour
.I Precision:
no need to measure.
.WR
Dave Bartley	  
John Fluke Mfg Co., Everett, Washington USA
{sun,allegra,uw-beaver,lbl-csam}!fluke!dbb