Hot and Sour Soup 酸辣汤 (Suan La Tang)
Almost every Asian culture has their version of the hot and sour soup. Vietnam has canh chua, Cambodia has samlor machu pkong, etc. In all variations, the soup contains ingredients to make it both hot (spicy) and sour.
The Chinese version has body, usually thickened with either chicken or pig’s blood. The American Chinese version is much thicker due to cornstarch and can end up being gloopy. It’s a bit difficult to get my hands on blood here, so I used a bit of cornstarch, less than most recipes recommend.
The American Chinese version also tends to be milder than the Chinese version, most likely due to the soup sitting in large batches in a steam tray. The longer the soup is over heat, the less hot and sour the soup will be when served. The pungency of white pepper and black vinegar dissipate surprisingly fast. To get the fullest flavor, mix in the white pepper and black vinegar at the end and turn off the heat immediately.
Servings: 6
Cornstarch Slurry Ingredients:
2 tbsp of of cornstarch
2 tbsp of water
Ingredients:
5 oz of pork loin, sliced
½ tsp of oil
1 tsp of cornstarch
2 scallion, rough chopped
Small block of firm tofu, sliced
½ cup of sliced bamboo shoots
¼ cup of dried shiitake mushrooms, rehydrated and chopped
¼ cup of dried wood ear mushrooms, rehydrated and chopped
2 eggs
6 cups of low sodium chicken stock
5 dried red chilies peppers (more or less depending on your preference)
1 ½ tsp of dark soy sauce
¾ tbsp of soy sauce
½ - 1 tsp of white pepper (more or less depending on your preference)
2- 3 tbsp of black vinegar (more or less depending on your preference)
Prep Directions:
1. For the cornstarch slurry, dissolve 2 tbsp of cornstarch with 2 tbsp of water.
2. Slice the pork into small strips. Add 1 tsp of cornstarch and ½ teaspoon of oil.
3. Rehydrate the wood ear mushrooms and shiitake mushrooms in hot water (15 - 20 minutes). Drain and squeeze out excess water. Rough chop the mushrooms.
4. Slice the firm tofu into 2” long and ¼“ thick pieces.
5. Slice the bamboo shoot into matchsticks.
6. Beat the two eggs in a bowl.
7. Chop the scallions.
Cooking Directions:
1. Bring the chicken stock to a boil and add the slices of pork. Stir to make sure the pork doesn’t clump together. Skim off any scum that surfaces.
2. Add the dried red chili pepper, both soy sauces and prepped mushrooms and bamboo shoots. Bring soup back to a boil.
3. Once boiling, add the tofu. Gently stir and try not to break up the tofu.
4. Remix the cornstarch slurry to make sure everything is combined before adding to the soup. To add the cornstarch slurry stir the soup in a circular motion to create a whirlpool effect. Slowly pour the slurry in a thin stream into the whirlpool, this will prevent the cornstarch from clumping. Check the consistency of the soup, if you like your soup thicker, mix more slurry and slowly add.
5. Using the whirlpool technique again, add the beaten eggs in a steady stream so you don’t end up with egg clumps.
6. Right before serving, mix in the white pepper and black vinegar. Turn off the heat after everything is incorporated, the longer the soup cooks, the less potent the white pepper and black vinegar.
7. Serve garnished with chopped scallions. Enjoy!
Notes:
I recommend that you prep all your ingredients first. Once you start making the soup, things move pretty quickly so it’s nice to have all your ingredients handy.
Make sure to add the white pepper and black vinegar right before serving because they lose their aroma fast. Set out white pepper and black vinegar so you and your guests can season their bowls to their preference.
If you don’t have black vinegar, you can use red vinegar or rice vinegar.
Background Music:
“Candlepower” by Chris Zabriskie