Hot and Sour Soup

Shauna gives me a Chinese cooking tome for Christmas. As I turn the pages, I  mentally bookmark several intriguing versions of foods I love. One being soup. Especially the hot and sour category, which I plan on making since I have quarts of turkey stock, some leftover cooked beef and a small can of bamboo shoots. And with that I try my vision of hot and sour. 

The recipe calls for a few items not in my pantry. So I go with what I find. What's new!!! I want my soup to have a robust chile flavor. I add a whopping tablespoon of chile garlic paste, lots of black pepper and my secret ingredient..dark soy sauce.

HOT AND SOUR SOUP

Serves 4

2 cups Chicken Stock

1/4 cup Bamboo Shoots 

1/2 cup Shimeji Mushrooms 

1/2 cup cooked Meat ( roast beef, cooked chicken, boiled shrimp)

3 tablespoons Cornstarch 

2 teaspoons Water

1 Egg

1 tablespoon Dark Soy Sauce 

1 heaped teaspoon Chile Garlic Paste

3 tablespoons Red Wine Vinegar 

2 teaspoon ground Black Pepper 

1/4 teaspoon Kosher Salt 

2 tablespoons Cilantro 

Heat chicken stock in a deep saucepan till it boils gently.

Cut bamboo shoots into thin strips and add to stock.

Clean mushrooms.  Add to hot stock. 

Chop cooked meat into bite size pieces and add to chicken stock.

Mix cornstarch and water till smooth. 

Pout cornstarch in a thin stream slowly into the hot stock stirring constantly as you pour it in. Let soup boil and thicken for 3-5 minutes.

Break the egg into a bowl and whisk well.

Dribble beaten egg into hot soup slowly. Use a whisk to stir the egg into the soup. This lets the egg form ribbons as it sets. 

Add dark soy sauce, chile garlic paste, vinegar and salt to soup. Cook for another 5 minutes.

Chop cilantro and add to soup just before serving.

Nothing beats a bowl of hot soup on a cold blustery day. Steamy aromas  arise enticingly from my gift. Aaah..did I mention that a set of beautiful bowls came with the book? Shauna knows double the gift means double the pleasure!

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