Two dishes that remain staples of my longstanding ‘standard’ Chinese Resto order are Egg Drop Soup and Hot & Sour Soup. It’s one or the other, every time. We gave you an Egg Drop recipe recently. Now we’re catching up with Hot and Sour!’
This classic ‘Chinese Restaurant’ starter is actually an ancient and beloved authentic Chinese staple. And recipe contributor Sara Leung warrents it’s an authentic family recipe handed down through her Dad’s side for generations…
Simple but exotic…
“There are a few ingredients in this recipe that aren’t exactly on every grocery store shelf in America, like dried shiitake mushrooms, dried lily flowers, or wood ear mushrooms,” Sara admits. “But this will give you a good excuse to really get to know your local Asian market and/or discover the wealth of possibilities that lie in online shopping.”
Good point!
Anyway…
The ingredient list for this recipe is quite long. Some of you, who cook Asian food regularly, will have many of the specified comp-onents on hand, but many of you won’t. Use your own judgement to omit or substitute ingredients as you wish. One of the secrets of this soup is, it’s wide open to fine-tuning for heat, sour and other flavour characteristics, to suit your taste!
Perhaps surprisingly, many of the remaining ingredients are ‘standard pantry inventory’.
Tips and hacks…
The classic protein is Pork. Julienned and quick sizzled by itself in the wok or fry pan. Be sure to dredge it in cornstarch before cooking to ensure it’s crisp!
Pay particular attention to the more exotic ingredients listed. They include several kinds of mush-rooms and 2 kinds of tofu. Decide before shopping just how authentic you want to go. Dried Shitakes are fairly easy to find, even in large supermarkets with a decent Asian or International aisle. The others, not so much. And I have never bothered with the lily flowers. Their delicate flavour just gets lost in this dish, for me. Especially when you make it really hot and/or sour…
No need, in book, for 2 types of Soy Sauce, either. Just use the one you prefer. Note that the soup’s characteristic colour comes in large part from the Soy…
Sesame and Vingar…
These two seemingly innocuous ingredients actually contribute significantly to the overall flavour of the dish. The vinegar provides the ‘sour’ component and should be added a little at a time, to your taste.
The Sesame Oil is crucial to balance the soy sauce, and odd umami goodness. You may find you like more than 1 tsp. in this dish! Again, add it a little at a time, to your taste.
My take
I hope you love Hot & Sour Soup as much as I do! If you’re planning a homemade Asian Feast, I can’t think if any better way to open the proceedings… And if you’re looking for a sprightly Asian soup to turn into a full lunch or supper, just up the protein content a bit, and add a greater variety of trad-itional Asian veggies!
~ Maggie J.