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Prep Time: 0 Minutes Cook Time: 0 Minutes |
Ready In: 0 Minutes Servings: 2 |
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This was fantastic! It rivaled a local Chinese restaurant that set the standard for Hot & Sour soup. The distinct flavor of the soup I discovered was the bamboo shoots. This is easy to make, cut up the stuff, mix the ingredients in bowls, boil the broth and start adding the stuff. Read more . Cook time was about 10 minute’s total. This was just too good; I was totally happy and will make it often. From Cooks Illustrated. Click on pics to enlarge. Ingredients:
7 ounces extra-firm tofu , drained (this is the tofu in a box, use the whole box) |
6 tablespoons soy sauce |
2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil |
5 tablespoons cornstarch , plus an additional 2 1/2 teaspoons |
2 boneless, center-cut, pork loin chop (1/2 inch thick, 1lb ), trimmed of fat and cut into 2 inch by 1/8-inch matchsticks |
3 tablespoons cold water , plus 1 additional teaspoon |
1 large egg |
6 cups low-sodium chicken broth |
1 cup bamboo shoots (from one 5-ounce can), sliced lengthwise into 1/8-inch-thick strips |
8 ounces fresh shiitake mushrooms , stems removed, caps sliced 1/4 inch thick (about 1 cup) or sliced baby portabellas. |
5 tablespoons black chinese vinegar or 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar plus 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar (see note below) |
2 teaspoons chili oil (see note below, i used one teaspoon and it was warm and you know it was there) |
1 teaspoon ground white pepper |
3 medium scallions , sliced thin |
Directions:
1. Notes 1, 2 & 3:
2. Note 1.This soup is very spicy. For a less spicy soup, omit the chili oil altogether or add only 1 teaspoon.
3. Note 2.To make slicing the pork chop easier, freeze it for 15 minutes. Recipe call said they liked the distinctive flavor of Chinese black vinegar. If you can't find it, they said a combination of red wine vinegar and balsamic vinegar approximates its flavor. The substitution for the Chinese vinegar worked well. I got the Chinese black vinegar and didn't care for the flavor. Restaurant owner said he uses white vinegar! I have tried white and it works also.
4. Note 3. I doubled the amount and mushrooms (found baby portables were juts fine. I added the starch at the very end too thicken the soup. For vegetarians, remove the pork, not sure what to do about the chicken broth, and would add at least another box of tofu. Serves 6 to 8 as an appetizer or 2 people eating two bowls each for dinner and 1 cup each left over for lunch the next day.
5. Cooking Directions:
6. Place tofu in pie plate and set heavy plate on top. Weight with 2 heavy cans; let stand at least 15 minutes (tofu should release about 1/2 cup liquid). The tofu in the pic was just Firm and it crumbled when the box was opened and pressed. I liked the tofu in the final product with the broken up pieces. I poured the water off the plate and cut through any large pieces to get them to the 1/2 inch called out. I then poured the whole plate in, crumbled and all. For those who don’t know, Tofu in the box has no smell or taste. The Tofu in the refrigerated section in the vegetable department in packages with water smells and tastes like cardboard, I can't eat it. Use the box, Mori-nu, it is good stuff. The box Tofu is what I put in my health shake I posted.
7. Whisk 3 tablespoon soy sauce, sesame oil, and 2 teaspoon cornstarch in medium bowl; toss pork with marinade and set aside for at least 10 minutes (but no more than 30 minutes). The meat absorbs most of the marinade.
8. Combine 3 tablespoons cornstarch with 3 tablespoons water in small bowl and mix thoroughly; set aside, leaving spoon in bowl. Mix 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch with remaining 1 teaspoon water in small bowl; add egg and beat with fork until combined, set aside. Mix 2 tablespoons corn starch with 2 tablespoons water in a small bowl. Set aside.
9. Bring broth to boil in large saucepan set over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low; add bamboo shoots and mushrooms and simmer until mushrooms are just tender, about 5 minutes. Add tofu and pork, including marinade, to soup, stirring to separate any pieces of pork that stick together. Continue to simmer until pork is no longer pink, about 2 minutes.
10. Stir 3 tablespoon cornstarch mixture to recombine. Add to soup and increase heat to medium-high; cook, stirring occasionally, until soup thickens and turns translucent, about 1 minute. Stir in vinegar, chili oil, pepper, and remaining 3 tablespoons soy sauce; turn off heat.
11. Without stirring soup, slowly drizzle thin stream of egg mixture into pot in circular motion. Let soup sit 1 minute, then return saucepan to medium-high heat. Bring soup to gentle boil, add last bowl of corn starch, stir one minute, and then immediately remove from heat. Gently stir soup once to evenly distribute egg; ladle into bowls and top with scallions.
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