Hot and Sour Soup with Tofu Recipe

Ingredients :

Serves 6

• 4-6 Chinese dried mushrooms

• 2-3 small pieces of wood ear and a few golden needles (lily buds) (optional)

• 115g / 4oz pork tenderloin, cut into fine strips

• 45ml / 3 tbsp corn flour (cornstarch)

• 150ml / ¼ pint / ²/₃ cup water

• 15-30ml / 1-2 tbsp sunflower oil

• 1 small onion, finely chopped

• 1.5 liters / 2½ pints / 6¼ cups good quality chicken stock

• 150g / 5oz drained fresh firm bean curd (tofu), diced

• 60ml / 4 tbsp rice vinegar

• 15ml / 1 tbsp light soy sauce

• 1 egg, beaten

• 5ml / 1 tsp sesame oil

• salt and ground white or black pepper

• 2-3 spring onions (scallions), shredded, to garnish

Method :

1. Place the dried mushrooms in a bowl, with the wood ear and the golden needles (lily buds), if using. Add enough warm water to cover and leave to soak for about 30 minutes.

2. Drain the mushrooms, reserving the soaking water. Cut off and discard the mushroom stems and slice the caps finely. Trim away any tough stems from the wood ears, then chop them finely. Using kitchen string, tie the golden needles into a bundle.

3. Dust the strips of pork tenderloin with some of the corn flour; mix the remaining corn flour to a smooth paste with the water.

4. Heat the oil in a wok or pan and fry the onion until soft. Increase the heat and fry the pork until it changes color. Add the stock, mushrooms, soaking water, and wood ears and golden needles, if using. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 15 minutes.

5. Discard the golden needles, if necessary, then lower the heat and stir in the corn flour paste to thicken. Add the bean curd (tofu), vinegar, soy sauce, and salt and pepper.

6. Bring the soup to just below boiling point, then drizzle in the beaten egg by letting it drop from a whisk so that it forms threads in the soup. Stir in the sesame oil and serve at once, garnished with spring onion shreds.

Nutritional Facts :

Per portion :

Energy  154kcals/647kJ

Protein   7.3g

Fat, total   7.8g

   saturated fat   1.5g

Carbohydrate   14.7g

   of which sugars   0.6g

Fiber   0.2g