Sichuan Hot and Sour soup

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Sichuan Hot and Sour Soup

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With the introduction of Sichuan cooking (Szechwan or Szechuan has also been used) in America in the 1960s and 1970s, many Cantonese restaurants began to feature a few Sichuan dishes on there menus.

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Unfortunately, you can’t just add hot sauce or chili peppers to Cantonese food and call it Sichuan. Most Chinese restaurants today list Sichuan hot and sour soup, but the quality and flavor varies considerably. To the best of my knowledge, the following is an authentic recipe.

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Do not be turned off by some of the ingredients if you are not familiar with them. Dried tiger lily buds add an interesting texture and so do cloud ears which are just another form of tree fungus somewhat related to mushrooms. Bean curd pretty much takes on the flavor of whatever it is cooked in.

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if you don’t make your own chicken broth, try to buy a reliable brand. One Chinese cookbook recommended College Inn chicken broth, but you can decide for yourself. You will need to find an oriental market to get all of these ingredients, but it will be well worth your trouble if you plan to do any amount of Chinese cooking.

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Difficulty:

Easy

Preparation Time:

30 Minutes

Cooking Time:

15 Minutes

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Ingredients:

2 Cans of Chicken Broth

10 Dried Tiger Lily Buds soaked in hot water for 15 Minutes

¼ Cup of Cloud Ears soaked in hot water for 15 minutes

6 Chinese Dried Mushrooms soaked in hot water until soft (Remove the hard stems and cut them into narrow strips)

6 Oz. of Lean Pork cut into match stick like strips

¼ Cup Bamboo Shoots cut into match stick like strips

½ Cup Fresh Bean Curd cut into strips

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Sauce Mixture:

1 Tablespoon Thin Soy Sauce

¼ Teaspoon Sugar

¾ Teaspoon Salt

2 Tablespoons Cornstarch mixed with 3 Tablespoons Water

1 Egg well beaten

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Hot and Sour Mixture:

3 Tablespoons Chinese Red Vinegar

½ Teaspoon Ground white pepper

2 Teaspoons Sesame Seed Oil

2 Scallions cut into pea-sized pieces including the green part

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Cooking Instructions:

1. Remove any tough parts off of the lily buds and the cloud ears and cut them in half lengthwise.
2. Heat the chicken broth to a boil in a three-quart pot, add the first set of ingredients and simmer for about five minutes.
3. Stir in the sauce mixture except for the egg and when it is gently boiling, Swirl in the beaten egg.
4. Add the hot and sour mixture to a large serving bowl or soup tureen, and then pour in the soup.
5. Stir gently and serve.

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