# ISO recipe/help with authentic hot and sour soup



## nicklord1 (Aug 25, 2007)

Hello as winter is setting in a few months i really want to perfect this soup as its perfect for colds etc . Now i have a few different variants but i am not sure if i can openly quote recipes  , of course any authentic recipes would be  great for me to compare with what i have originally have.

Thanking you all in advance


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## Andy M. (Aug 25, 2007)

*Hot and Sour Soup*​ 

1/2 Lb Pork, julienned 
1 tsp Sesame Oil 
1 tsp Soy sauce
1 tsp Cornstarch 
2 Tb Peanut Oil
4 Dried Chiles, chopped 
1 Tb Ginger, minced
8 C Chicken Stock 
1 tsp Sugar 
1 C Bamboo Shoots, julienned
1/2 C Dried Wood Ear Mushrooms 
2 Eggs lightly beaten 
2 Tb Cornstarch
1/4 Lb Firm Tofu, diced
TT Salt and White Pepper
5-6 Tb Rice Vinegar 
2 Tb Soy Sauce
1 tsp Sesame Oil
1/4 C Scallions, chopped 
2 Tb Cilantro, Minced 

Combine the pork with the sesame oil, soy, and cornstarch. Marinate for 30 minutes.

Soak the bamboo shoots in water for 30 minutes, then julienne.
Re-hydrate and julienne the wood ears.

In a hot 4-quart saucepan, add the oil and sear the pork, stirring quickly then remove the pork from the pan and set it aside. 

Add the chiles and ginger, and stir. 

Add the stock, sugar, bamboo shoots and wood ears and bring to a boil. Season. Simmer for 20 minutes.

While the soup is boiling, drizzle in the egg to form ribbons. A slower, thin drizzle will make thinner, more delicate ribbons.

Mix the cornstarch with cold water to form a paste and add the cornstarch to the soup stirring constantly to thicken. 

Add the pork and tofu.

Add the vinegar, soy, sesame oil, scallions and cilantro and check for seasoning. 

Serve immediately.

Note: If you want to make the soup ahead of time, skip the last step and refrigerate the soup. Reheat the soup just before serving and add the vinegar, soy, sesame oil, scallions and cilantro and check for seasoning.


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## Dave Hutchins (Aug 25, 2007)

There are as many recipes for hot and sour soup as there are Chinamen, But a while back Amerioca's test kitchen had one on rocky Mountain PBS. and Cooks Illistrated had one that is very detailed but very good .


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## BreezyCooking (Aug 26, 2007)

Here's a recipe I've been making since I received my first wok back in 1974 (& which is still going strong!).  I adapted it to suit not only my tastes for "hot" & "sour", but also for my husband, who doesn't eat red meat.  It's both delicious & authentic, even though I substitute chicken for the pork used in other recipes of this type.


PEKING SOUR AND PEPPERY SOUP
(adapted from Madame Chu’s Chinese Cooking School)

¼ -1/2 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast (one breast piece)
½ cup dried Chinese mushrooms (or dried shitake mushrooms)
12 dried tiger-lily buds
1 tablespoon dried cloud ear mushrooms
1 cake fresh firm or extra-firm bean curd
1 egg
5 cups chicken broth
1 small can shredded bamboo shoots
½ teaspoon sugar
2 tablesoons light (Japanese) soy sauce
2-1/2 tablespoons white vinegar (or to taste)
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (or to taste)
2-1/2 tablespoons cornstarch, dissolved in 2 tablespoons of cold water
1 tablespoon sesame oil or hot (aka chili) sesame oil

Cut the chicken into shreds.
Soak mushrooms, cloud ears, & tiger-lily buds in 1 cup of hot water for 20-30 minutes,  changing hot water every 5-10 minutes or so.  Drain & rinse well.  Shred the mushrooms & cloud ears; tie each tiger lily bud into a knot (for easier eating).
Cut bean curd into cubes.
Beat the egg until thoroughly & completely mixed.

Heat broth in a large saucepan until boiling.  Add chicken strips & mix a few times.  Bring back to a low boil & add bean curd, bamboo shoots, mushrooms, cloud ears, & lily buds.  Add sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, & black pepper.  Boil for 2 minutes & then add –first stirring to recombine – cornstarch/water mixture.  Stir & then pour in beaten egg.  Turn off heat & stir again, then sprinkle sesame oil on top & taste for seasoning, adding in additional vinegar &/or pepper to taste if necessary.  Serve.


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## GB (Aug 26, 2007)

Dave Hutchins said:


> There are as many recipes for hot and sour soup as there are Chinamen, But a while back Amerioca's test kitchen had one on rocky Mountain PBS. and Cooks Illistrated had one that is very detailed but very good .


The recipe that ATK had though was anything, but authentic (by their own admission). They said that to make it authentic required to many hard to get ingredients so they came up with a version that used easy to find things so that it would be a much easier soup to make.


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## elaine l (Aug 26, 2007)

I have tried a few recipes and decided I'll just buy it.  Although homemade has a decent flavor it lacks that really good taste that I love.


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## nicklord1 (Aug 27, 2007)

What would you say are the key ingredients . I have managed to track down shittake  dried mushrooms and black  fungus . 2 items i have never used before.


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## Andy M. (Aug 27, 2007)

It's difficult to single out key ingredients. Since it's hot and sour soup, let's say, the dried chiles and the rice vinegar.


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## jennyema (Aug 27, 2007)

Key ingredients are pepper, vinegar, tree ear, lily buds, tofu, egg and pork.

I hardly ever see H and S soup with black mushrooms in it, these days.


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## nicklord1 (Aug 30, 2007)

Hi my recipe says shread and soak the wood ear and the dried mushrooms but it doesnt say for how long or how . Also it says  bring to boil and pour beaten egg in then take off boil , how long will it take for the egg to cook as its the last thing to go in the soup according to my recipe . Thanks


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## Katie H (Aug 30, 2007)

nick, you can pour some boiling water over the mushrooms and let them soak for as little as 15 minutes.  Longer won't hurt either.  The egg will cook, literally, in seconds.  The soup will be very, very hot and you will see the egg cook.  You'll know when it's done just by its appearance.


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## BreezyCooking (Aug 30, 2007)

Okay - when I make this soup I put all the dried fungi in hot water for at least 30 minutes (in my experience, 15 minutes won't do it), changing the hot water every 10 minutes or so.  I then cut then remove the tough parts (stems for the mushrooms, nodules for the wood ears) & cut the rest into strips.  Tiger lily buds are also soaked for the same amount of time, & then rinsed & tied into knots (to make for easier eating).

And as KatieE said, when you add the beaten egg to the boiling soup, it will virtually cook in seconds, making those well-known egg shreds you see in Egg Drop Soup (another big favorite of mine).


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## Constance (Aug 30, 2007)

This recipe is from a special friend of mine, who has lived and worked all over the world, including a considerable amount of time in Singapore. He took advantage of that time to travel to surrounding areas, including Thailand. He is also, at the age of 77, still creating new dishes all the time.
Wish I had his energy!


Bern's Vietnamese Hot, Sweet and Sour Shrimp Soup ( Amounts Approx.)

A quart of hot chicken stock,fish stock, or a combination.
1# of colossal shrimp, shells on, vein removed, defrosted
1 medium can of chunk pineapple in juice
1 tsp or to taste, cayenne pepper, or a pepper sauce like Tabasco
[please be careful, here. to your taste, taste by drops.
1 tbsp lemon or lime juice
Some ripe plum tomatoes, cut into chunks,
Some sweet onion cut thin into rings
A medium cuke, thinly sliced.
1 c of rice raw, cooked with stock and turmeric [long or short grain or
brown]
4 large soup bowls

Method:
place a goodly scoop of rice in a large soup bowl
shell the shrimp and saute the shells with some oil. Discard shells.
Add hot broth, vegetables
add shrimp, cook until pink
Add pineapple and lemon or lime juice
Add flat leaf parsley.

Ladle over rice. Enjoy with a spoon, chopsticks or both. Don't drip on a
white shirt or blouse, use a large napkin.

CAUTION: The is very addictive and healthy for you. Eat it until you are
120 years old, and then start on creating a new baby.


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## JenMN (Nov 5, 2007)

Constance said:


> This recipe is from a special friend of mine, who has lived and worked all over the world, including a considerable amount of time in Singapore. He took advantage of that time to travel to surrounding areas, including Thailand. He is also, at the age of 77, still creating new dishes all the time.
> Wish I had his energy!
> 
> 
> ...


 
I made this soup last night and it was fabulous!
When I make this again, I will wait to add the tomatoes with the pineapple.  The tomatoes cooked away.  I cooked the onions for a few minutes in the oil to get them going before adding the broth.
I will be making this soup again in the very near future!
thanks for sharing the recipe!


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## CharlieD (Nov 5, 2007)

Dave or GB do you have the recipe you are talking about? The Cook's Illustarated only offers their recipe to members. PM me if you can, please.


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## jennyema (Nov 5, 2007)

CharlieD said:


> Dave or GB do you have the recipe you are talking about? The Cook's Illustarated only offers their recipe to members. PM me if you can, please.


 
You can get a 14 day trial for free without a credit card or anything.

Also if you do a quick google search you can find that other people have posted it eleswhere.

Cooks Illustrated Hot and Sour Soup? - Community - CookingLight.com


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## CharlieD (Nov 6, 2007)

Thank you.


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## Constance (Nov 6, 2007)

Jen, I will pass your message on to my friend. I tried to get him to join here, but he says he doesn't have the time. As I said, I wish I had his energy.


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