COLLECTION: Hot and Sour soup


From: Mike Bowers mikeb@radonc.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu
Date: Thu, 28 Oct 1993 17:34:17 PST

previously posted to the net...

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
HOT and SOUR RICE SOUP: (Serves 6)

	6     dried black mushrooms (soaked, drained and sliced thin)
      5.5 C   broth
      1/4 lb  boneless pork (cut into matchsticks)
      1/2 C   slivered Bamboo shoots
      1/2     small carrot  (cut into matchsticks)
      1.5 C   rice, cooked
      1/4 C   rice or white vinegar	2 T   cornstarch
	2 T   soy sauce			2 T   water
      1/2 t   white pepper		1     egg, beaten
	1 t   sesame oil		2     green onions, thinly sliced 
      1/2 t   hot pepper sauce

In 4-quart Dutch oven, heat broth to boiling on medium heat.
Add pork, mushrooms, bamboo shoots, and carrots.  Cook 3 minutes.
Add rice, vinegar, soy sauce, white pepper, sesame oil and hot pepper sauce.
Return to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer 3 minutes.
In a cup, stir together cornstarch and water until smooth.
Gradually stir it into the soup.  Cook until slightly thickened.
Remove from heat.  Gradually add egg in a steady stream, stirring constantly.
Garnish with green onion.

HOT AND SOUR SOUP
=================

If you want a real, authentic Hot & Sour Chinese soup, go look it up
in a cookbook.  This is my version, distilled from several recipies,
but missing several ingredients that I'm sure some would say were
absolutely esential.  The quantities below are approximate, and you
should vary them to suit you.  I had this last night, and my wife was
surprised that the kids each ate three bowls, instead of the stuff
*she* made (I liked the stuff she made, but I had three bowls of the
soup in addition to her stuff).

2 T oil
2-3 oz. fresh mushrooms
6-8 c. stock
fresh ginger (size of US quarter, 3/4 inch round, 1/8 inch thick)
small can of sliced bamboo shoots (3 oz?), cut lengthwise into three, drained
8 oz. tofu (or a package), sliced 2" X 1/4" X 1/4", drained
2 T vinegar
2 T soy sauce
1/4 t white pepper
Tabasco sauce or chili oil (optional)
3 T corn starch
3 T water
1 egg, beaten (eliminate for vegans)
2 green onions, cut into thin circles
1 T chinese-style dark sesame oil

Slice the mushrooms and saute with oil in the soup pot (you can
eliminate fat by just tossing the mushrooms in the stock without
sauteing them, but they shrink something awful!).  Add the stock (I
used ch****n, which is traditional, but this is cross-posted to
rec.food.veg, so I can't say that).  Most people will want the stock
to have salt, but remember that the soy sauce is salty.  Add the
ginger, heat to a boil, and simmer gently for 20 minutes.  At some
point you may wish to discard the ginger so some unsuspecting soul
doesn't bite into it and get a mouthful of heat.  You may wish to do
the rest differently, but my wife is always in the kitchen preparing
another last-minute dish, so I like to get all my ingredients
together and ready.  Get five small bowls.  Put the vinegar, soy
sauce, ground white pepper and (optional) hot sauce in one and mix.
Put the corn starch and water in the next and mix.  Put the
(optional) egg in the next and beat lightly.  Put the green onion in
the next, and the tofu and matchstick-cut bamboo shoots in the last.
A few minutes before you are ready to eat, turn the heat to medium.
Add the tofu and bamboo shoots and wait until heated.  Add the soy
sauce mixture, heat until boiling.  Stir corn starch mixture and add
to rapidly boiling soup.  Boil for a long minute until it thickens.
Reduce heat.  If using egg, stir the soup in one direction until it's
moving pretty well.  Dribble the egg in, forming long strands.  Let
the strands firm (20 seconds).  Add sesame oil and stir.  You can
float the green onions on top, or stir them in.  Serve, with chili
oil available for those who like it hotter.


FROM:  Terri Huggett 

Saved from the net.  Don't know if all the ingredients are easy to
find.  Hope it helps.

Terri Huggett
huggett@sequent.com
----------------------------

From: harkins@iraq.crd.ge.com (Cynthia K. Harkins)
Path: iraq!harkins


			Hot & Sour Soup


Ingredients:

	.	7 1/2 cups chicken broth - use canned over cubes

	.	1/4 - 1/2 lb. pork - shredded

		Marinade:
			1/2 tsp.  cornstarch
			1 tsp. sesame oil
			1/2 tsp. sherry

	.	3 cups hot water
	.	20 small dried tree ears
	.	20-30 dried tiger lily buds
	.	8-12 dried Chinese (black) mushrooms

	.	6-12 oz. fresh mushrooms - sliced
	.	1-2 cans water chestnuts - sliced
	.	1 carrot - shredded
	.	1 can bamboo shoots - shredded (optional)

	.	1/2 - 3/4 lb. tofu - shredded

	.	6 tbsp. cornstarch
	.	6 tbsp. COLD water

	.	1/4 cup Worcestershire Sauce
	.	1/4 cup Vinegar

	.	1 egg - beaten

	.	1/2 - 1 tsp. black pepper
	.	1/2 - 1 tsp. white pepper
	.	2 - 4 tbsp. brown sugar (optional)
	.	1 tbsp. sesame oil
	.	Tabasco sauce (to taste)


Directions:

	Preparation:

	1. Start heating chicken broth on low heat.

	2. Mix marinade ingredients and add shredded pork.  Let stand
	   at least 20 minutes.

	3. Add tree ears, tiger lily buds, and Chinese mushrooms to hot
	   water and let soak for 20 minutes.

	4. While the meat is marinating and the dried ingredients are
	   rehydrating, slice and shred the vegetables and tofu.

	5. When the dried ingredients are done soaking, remove the stems
	   from the Chinese mushrooms and slice them.  Remove the stems 
	   from the tiger lily buds and remove any hard spots from the
	   tree ears.  If the tree ears are too large to fit on a soup
	   spoon cut them.

	6. Mix 6 tbsp. cornstarch with 6 tbsp. COLD water.


	Making the soup:

	1. Bring the chicken broth to a full boil and reduce heat to
	   medium.

	2. Add all of the vegetables (tree ears, tiger lily buds, Chinese
	   mushrooms, fresh mushrooms, water chestnuts, carrot, and bamboo)
	   and simmer for 3-4 minutes.

	3. Add pork (with marinade) and tofu and wait until soup is
	   boiling.

	4. Add Worcestershire sauce and vinegar.

	5. Stir cornstarch/water paste and SLOWLY stir into soup.  Wait
	   until soup thickens slightly.

	6. Stir beaten egg into soup.

	7. Add black pepper, white pepper, brown sugar, sesame oil, and
	   Tabasco.
---------------------------

From: gallen@apollo.HP.COM (Gary Allen)

HOTSOUR-SOUP-2(SP)       USENET Cookbook       HOTSOUR-SOUP-2(SP)

HOT AND SOUR SOUP

     HOTSOUR-SOUP-2 - Popular Szechuan Chinese soup

     I learned this recipe while taking Szechuan cooking classes.
     This soup is very popular in this country.  It comes in a
     great many varieties, and can range from very mild to very
     spicy, and from a soup to almost a stew.  This particular
     recipe is a medium spicy soup that should be within most
     peoples' tolerance range.

INGREDIENTS (serves 6-8)
     1 cup     bean curd, cut into small cubes.
     1/4 cup   bamboo shoot, shredded
     1/4 cup   golden needles (tiger lily pods)
     2 Tbsp    wood ear fungus shredded
     1/4 cup   black mushroom
     1         egg, well beaten
     4 oz      very lean pork, shredded
          MIXTURE A
     1 tsp     light soy sauce
     1 tsp     cornstarch
          MIXTURE B
     6 cups    chicken stock
     1 1/2 tsp salt
     1 tsp     MSG (optional)
     1 tsp     sugar
          MIXTURE C
     3 Tbsp    cornstarch
     3 Tbsp    water
          MIXTURE D
     2 Tbsp    light soy sauce
     2 Tbsp    vinegar
     1 tsp     sesame oil
     1 tsp     chili oil
     1/2 tsp   black pepper (fresh ground)
     1/2 tsp   white pepper (fresh ground)
     3 Tbsp    scallion, or green onion, chopped
     1 Tbsp    fresh ginger, chopped  (Do not use powdered
               ginger).

PROCEDURE
          (1)  Put the golden needles, wood ear, and black mush-
               room to soak in separate bowls of water.  It takes
               30 to 60 minutes for them to be ready. After soak-
               ing, the wood ear should be a flexible and flat
               material. It may have a few hard lumps; cut these
               off and discard them.  Discard the soaking
               liquids.

          (2)  Meanwhile, prepare mixtures A,C, and D.  Place
               their ingredients in bowls, and mix well.  When

               mixing with cornstarch, add the liquid slowly to
               the cornstarch.  This avoids getting undissolved
               cornstarch balls.

          (3)  Shred the pork.  This pork must be very lean.  The
               meat portion of pork cutlets or the center of pork
               chops are good sources.  Shredding means cutting
               the pork into pieces about the size of wooden
               matches.  (1/4 inch square by 1-2 inches) This is
               most easily done by slicing the pork, then laying
               the slices overlapping each other at an angle and
               cutting these at a reverse angle.

          (4)  Marinate the pork in mixture A for 15 minutes.
               Then use 2 Tbsp oil to stir-fry the meat until the
               color changes.  Set the meat aside.

          (5)  Shred and cube the other ingredients.

          (6)  Bring mixture B to a boil and add the black mush-
               room, bamboo shoots, wood ear, bean curd, and gol-
               den noodles.  Cook for 3 minutes.  Add the meat,
               then add mixture C.  Add the beaten egg while
               stirring to disperse the egg in sheets and fila-
               ments.  Add mixture D, and cook another minute.

          (7)  Serve hot.

NOTES
     Bean curd must be fresh.  If you cannot get it fresh, omit
     it.

     You will need at least 6 bowls (soup bowls are OK), 1 large
     bowl, and either a two-handled wok or a large sauce pan.
     Don't attempt this with a one-handled wok because it will be
     filled with boiling soup and is almost certain to spill.

     Hot and sour soup is a generic soup type, so you can make
     many variations on this soup.  To control the spiciness,
     adjust the ratio between mixture D and mixture B.  Changing
     the ratios inside mixture D changes the nature of the soup.
     Finally, you can add a lot more ingredients if you want.
     The critical ingredients are the golden needles, bamboo
     (although almost any variety can be good), mushrooms (or
     fungus of some sort), and pork shreds.  Experiment with dif-
     ferent kinds of fungus and bamboo.  Adding other mild veget-
     ables is usually a success.

RATING
     Difficulty: easy but tedious.  Time: 1-2 hours (lots of
     preparation, little cooking) Precision: measure the
     ingredients.


HOT AND SOUR SOUP

     HOTSOUR-SOUP-1 - 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.  Particu-
     larly when we add extra meat and vegetables, we  find  it  a
     very hearty soup which is surprisingly easy to make.

INGREDIENTS (Serves 4-6)
     1 Tbsp    peanut oil (or other vegetable oil)
     1         garlic clove
     1 tsp     ginger root (aboutr 2 slices)
     1/2 cup   boneless pork loin, shredded
     1 1/2 Tbsp
               soy sauce or tamari
     1/2 cup   bamboo shoots, shredded
     6         dried shiitake mushrooms
     10        dried lily buds (also called golden needles)
     12        dried tree ear fungus (also called cloud ears)
     4 cups    chicken broth (canned or homemade; I  usually  use
               canned)
     1 Tbsp    dry sherry
     3 Tbsp    red wine vinegar
     1 Tbsp    cornstarch
     1/4 cup   water
     1         tofu pad (a package generally contains 2 pads)
     1/4 cup   green onions
     2         eggs
     1 Tbsp    toasted sesame oil
     1/4-1 tsp chili oil
     1/4 tsp   white pepper
               salt and more pepper

PROCEDURE
          (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).

          (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.

          (3)  Heat oil in  wok  (medium),  add  the  garlic  and
               ginger, stirring 30 seconds.

          (4)  Add the pork, cooking  until  it  loses  its  pink color

          (5)  Add the soy sauce, cook for 1 minute more.

          (6)  Add bamboo shoots, shiitakes, lily buds, tree  ear
               fungi, stir quickly for 1 minute.

          (7)  Stir in chicken broth, sherry, and vinegar.

          (8)  Stir cornstarch/water mix one last time and add it
               to the soup.

          (9)  Add the tofu and bring the soup to a boil.

          (10) Turn the heat to low, add the green onions.

          (11) Add the beaten eggs in  a  slow  stream,  stirring
               several times.

          (12) Turn off the heat and add the  sesame  oil,  chili
               oil,  white  pepper.  Season  to  taste  and serve
               immediately.

NOTES
     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.

RATING
     Difficulty: easy to moderate Time: about an hour  Precision:
     no need to measure.


                           Hot and Sour soup



          Ingredients

          o  1-2cm fresh root ginger
          o  1 medium sized hot green chilli (cored and seeded)
          o  2 cloves garlic
          o  2 1/2 cups water
          o  1 vegetable stock cube (2 cup size)
          o  Juice of one lemon
          o  1 tbsp vinegar
          o  3 tbsp dark soy sauce
          o  1/3 tsp dried ginger
          o  1 tsp five spice powder
          o  4 spring onions
          o  1 medium sized red sweet bell pepper
          o  1 medium sized yellow sweet bell pepper
          o  225g tin water chestnuts
          o  225g tin bamboo shoots

          Method

          Chop the ginger, chilli pepper and garlic finely. Simmer for ten
          minutes in 2 1/2 cups of water.
          Core, seed and chop the red and yellow peppers into strips.
          Slice the water chestnuts and bamboo shoots. Add these and
          the other remaining ingredients. Cook until the vegetables are
          cooked, but still crisp. Adjust the seasoning to sour and spicy,
          and make the liquid up to 7-8 cups (around 3 pints).

          Serves 4 as a starter to a chinese meal.

          Units

          All units and measures are metric American. A UK imperial measure
          version is available from foster@jumbly.enet.dec.com

HOT & SOUR SOUP

This is a recipe from a good chinese restaurant in Cincinnati.

1 Qt chicken broth
2 oz shredded pork tenderloin
2 oz shredded bean curd
2 Tblsp shredded bamboo shoots
2 Tblsp shredded cloud ears
2 Tblsp dry lily buds
1 Tblsp fresh ground black pepper
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp dark soy sauce
3 Tblsp cider or rice wine vinegar
2-3 tsp cornstarch dissolved in 2 Tblsp water
1 egg, beaten
few drops sesame oil
2 Tblsp minced scallions or green onions

In a heavy kettle, bring the broth to a boil. Meanwhile soften the
shredded cloud ears and dry lily buds in water to cover. Drain well
Add the pork, bean curd, bamboo shoots, cloud ears and lily buds to 
the boiling stock. Bring again to a boil and stir in the pepper, salt,
soy sauce, and vinegar. Slowly stir in the dissolved cornstarch until 
desired thickness. Slowly pour the egg into the soup, whisking constantly
to form thin strands of egg. Remove from heat and add oil. Ladle into
bowls and garnish with minced scallions. Serves 4. Preperation time: ~20min
Cooking time: ~20 min
-- 


amyl

Carnegie Mellon's School of Computer Science (SCS) graciously hosts the Recipe Archive. We encourage you to learn about SCS educational programs and research.