From: utzoo!decvax!harpo!npoiv!alice!physics!mitccc!jfw
Newsgroups: net.cooks
Title: Re: Hot and Sour Soup
Article-I.D.: mitccc.118
Posted: Sat Jul 17 21:42:01 1982
Received: Sun Jul 18 05:01:54 1982

Another recipe, this one from the Joyce Chen Cookbook:

Peking Hot and Sour Soup

1/4 cup pork -- shredded
1 tsp	dry sherry
3 TBS	corn starch
1 can	chicken broth, with 1-1/2 cup water,
	OR 3-1/2 cup stock with 1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp	salt
1 TBS	soy sauce
1/4 cup	dried wood ears -- "black fungus"
1/4 cup	dried golden needles (lily buds)
1/2 cup bean curd -- shredded; about 1/2 small cake
1/4 tsp	MSG
1	egg -- beaten
2 TBS	cider vinegar
1/4 tsp	white ground pepper
1 tsp	sesame oil
1 TBS	scallion, minced

Mix the shredded pork, sherry, and 1 tsp of corn starch

Soak the wood ears and lily buds in separate bowls of boiling water
(each about 2 cups).  Cover and soak for 15 minutes.

Snap off wood pieces from wood ears and hard stems from golden needles
(if any).  Cut into pieces.  Wash, drain, and squeeze out water.

Mix the remaining corn startch with 1/2 cup cold water.

Put the vinegar and pepper into a large serving bowl.

Put chicken broth with 1-1/2 cups water (or the stock), salt, and soy sauce
into a medium sauce pan.  Bring to a boil and stir in the mixed pork.
After boiling for 1 minute, add wood ears and golden needles.  Again boil for
another minute.  Add bean curd and MSG.  As soon as the soup is boiling again,
stir in the well-stirred corn starch mixture until it thickens.  Mix in
beaten egg (trail along the tines of a fork -- it should separate into small
pieces, but not too small).  Pour the soup in the serving bowl with the vinegar
and pepper.  Garnish with sesame oil and scallion.  Serve hot.

I usually find (as do many) that extra pepper and vinegar improve the soup,
as does slightly more sesame oil.

I have several other recipes for Hot and Sour Soup to submit, they shall
follow soon.