Hot and Sour Soup

With every combination plate you order at a Chinese restaurant, you'll get a little cup of soup.  Egg Drop soup is always an option, that rather bland mixture of warm chicken broth with egg bits and maybe a vegetable oil.

But at the restaurants I like, they also give you the option of Hot and Sour Soup.  It's still a chicken broth, but with tofu, mushrooms, bamboo shoots and a number of other additives that flavor it nicely.  The best part is its heat!  It's not overpowering or sinus-destroying, but it's got that slight burn to it that tickles the taste buds.

This is one of my favorite meals when I have a cold.  When I can't breathe, I'll order a quart of this to go, add some extra chili garlic paste or some srirachi and consume as much as my stomach can handle.  Forget Sudafed, a spiced up bowl of this will blast out your sinuses and you'll be able to breathe for the first time in 24 hours.

You can make this delicacy at home as well.  This recipe will not be as gelled as some of the soups I've tried, just because when you add too much cornstarch to the mix, it can become almost gravy like.  I'm not a fan of a soup that solidifies like Jell-o when you refrigerate it.  Also, you can completely control the heat.  If you want just a little heat, go with just a tablespoon of the heat.  If you're like me, go 2 tablespoons, maybe even more.

Hot and Sour Soup

Makes 4-6 servings

1/4 cup dried wood ear mushrooms
1 teaspoon oil
1/4 pound ground or Chinese barbecued pork
1 1/2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
1-2 tablespoon garlic and red chile paste (sambal oolek or srirachi if that's what you have)
2 cloves garlic cloves, minced
3/4 cup sliced bamboo shoots
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar or rice vinegar
4 14 ounce cans chicken broth
1 8 ounce square firm tofu
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 cup water
1 egg

Rehydrate the wood ear mushrooms by placing them in a bowl, covering them in boiling water and letting them sit for 30 minutes.  Then slice them into small strips and set them aside.

Remove your tofu from it's container, wrap in paper towels and then set on a cooling rack.  Place something flat and heavy on it (like a small cookie sheet/small skillet with a cans of soup on top, so it will push out the excess moisture.

In a large saute pan or stockpot, heat the oil.  Add the pork and heat until cooked through.  Add the ginger, chili paste, garlic, and bamboo and stir 1 minute.  Add the soy sauce, vinegar, and and chicken broth.  Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.  Cook for at least 10 minutes.

While waiting for the soup to simmer, unwrap your tofu and slice into bite-size pieces.  Add them to the soup and simmer for another 5 minutes.

Mix the cornstarch and water in a small cup until well blended, then add to the soup.  Stir for about 30 seconds to make sure it's distributed.

Scramble the egg in a small cup, slowly stir the soup to get it moving.  Then very slowly add the egg, it will give you that ribboning effect throughout the soup.

Cook for three minutes so the cornstarch thickens in slightly, then remove from the heat and serve.

So make a batch and either enjoy a nice flavorful option to egg drop soup... or a soup to help clear your sinuses.