chinese hot & sour soup

When Justin from Marx Foods contacted me about participating in “A Chile & A Spoon” Blogger Recipe Challenge, I accepted immediately – I love a good challenge and I love anything with some spice. As I considered what to make Asian foods kept coming to mind. I am after all, still obsessed with all flavors Asian. So I turned to the Internet and determined the essential flavors and ingredients of a classic hot & sour soup.

This Chinese classic had phenomenal flavor. It is spicy from the chilies, sour from the vinegar and savory from the chicken broth and Asian sauces. The pork and meaty mushrooms take this soup from starter to meal, and it is definitely substantial enough for a meal.

Chinese Hot & Sour Soup - 4 servings

• dried chilies (I used Japones Chilies, a medium heat Asian Chile)
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 3/4 lb pork loin, thinly sliced into bite size pieces
• 8 oz exotic mushrooms (mix of baby bella, oyster and shitake), sliced
• 3 Tbsp fresh ginger, minced
• 1 can bamboo sprouts
• 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 Tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 tsp fish sauce
• 2 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 tsp cornstarch
• 2 eggs, whisked together
• green onions, thinly sliced

Soak chilies in boiling water for at least 30 minutes. Drain from water.

Heat oil in wok and when hot add pork, stirring frequently for about 3-4 minutes.

Prepare sauce: combine vinegars, fish and soy sauce and sesame oil.

Add mushrooms, ginger, bamboo sprouts and sauce to wok. Cook for another 4-5 minutes. Add chicken broth and chilies. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for about 10 minutes.

Prepare cornstarch: mix 1 tsp cornstarch with 2 tsp water. Add to soup mixture and  stir well.

Taste soup – at this point I added a touch of salt, pepper and 1 tsp of sriracha.

While stirring soup, pour eggs into wok. Divide into soup bowls.

Garnish with green onions and a chile pepper.

Related posts:

1. thanksgiving 2010: turkey noodle soup
2. curried lentil soup with cilantro yogurt
3. review: amy’s no chicken noodle soup
4. thai coconut-lime soup with chicken
5. sweet potato, spinach & chorizo soup

Tagged as: recipes