Hot and Sour Soup

….The first time I ate this soup, the taste was so peculiar that I can’t forget it. The sour taste was so strong that it was difficult for my taste buds when we moved to America 20 years ago. Even the same dish tastes different depending on the region and environment. I remember a lot of ingredients and foods that I had to get used to when I first came here. Over the years, it is one of the must-have menu items in Chinese restaurants with my family. This is a good dish for your appetite with Spring approaching. I learned this recipe a long time ago, but it still tastes great. Traditional hot and sour soup is actually incredibly easy to make as well. You can easily make it at home. I made it with some meat and tofu in a savory broth that’s a little bit hot, a little bit sour, and full of flavor. This is a lot like egg drop soup but with heartier ingredients like meat and vegetables instead of mostly egg. This dish takes a total time of a little over an hour to cook, so get ready. This hot and sour soup is incredibly delicious, hearty, sour and as spicy as you like it. I also recommend having your ingredients prepared and cut up before starting the recipe. Welcome Spring in for good health with this dish….

Servings: 4

Times: 1 hour

Ingredients:

1. 4–5 cup chicken broth(or beef broth)
2. 1 dried sea cucumber, soaked and sliced thinly
3. 10 shrimp, peeled and cut into small size
4. 100 g beef ribeye, julienned
5. 1 bamboo shoots, julienned
6. 6 shiitake mushrooms, sliced
7. 4–5 stems chives, cut into 1 inch
8. 1 cup tofu, diced
9. 1 egg
10. 2 ts mirin
11. 1/2 cup enoki mushrooms, cut into 1 inch
12. 1 1/2 Ts soy sauce
13. 1 Ts sake
14. 2 ts sea salt
15. 4–5 Ts vinegar
16. black pepper to taste
17. 1 Ts sesame oil
18. 1 Ts chili garlic sauce(this is optional)
19. 2 Ts chili garlic sauce
20. 4 Ts water starch(water: potato starch= 4: 2)

Cooking Instructions:

1. Heat a pot with medium high heat and add the chicken broth to boil.

2. After boiling, add the dried sea cucumber, bamboo shoots, and shiitake mushrooms into the pot to boil them.

3. Add the shrimp, beef, soy sauce, chili garlic sauce, and sake into the pot to boil them. Remove any floating bubbles with a spoon.

4. Add the sea salt, vinegar, and black pepper into the pot to boil for 1 minute.

5. Add the chives, tofu, and enoki mushrooms into the pot to keep boiling for 1–2 minutes(add some sea salt and vinegar if it is too bland). Beat the egg and mirin into a small bowl. Set aside.

6. Add the starch water into the pot(add more starch water if you want it to be thicker).

7. Pour the egg mixture into the pot little by little. Continue to stir with a chopstick until the egg mixture runs out. Turn off the heat and sprinkle the sesame oil into the pot.

8. Serve it.

You can also view this recipe on instagram.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CaUzXAPF_mV/