Hot and Sour Soup

Ingredients

• 1/3 cupmushrooms, shiitake, sliced
• 1/3 cupwood ear mushrooms, sliced; soak dried ones in warm water for 20 minutes first
• 2/3 cupsilken tofu, cubed
• 1/2 cupbbq pork, char siu, sliced, to top the soup
• 2 1/2 cupchicken stock
• 1/2 tspsalt
• 1/4 tspsugar
• 1 tspsesame oil
• 1/4 tspwhite pepper, ground
• 1/2 tsphot sauce, add more at the table if you like it hotter
• 1 1/2 tbsprice vinegar, 1½ tbsp is right; adjust to taste
• 1 tspsoy sauce
• 1 tbspcornstarch, whisked with the 2 tbsp water to thicken
• 2 tbspwater, for the cornstarch slurry
• 1egg, lightly beaten, poured in at the end for silky ribbons
• 1/4 cupspring onions, sliced, to top

Method

1. 1

   Bring the chicken stock to the boil in a wok or large pan.

2. 2

   Add the salt, sugar, sesame oil, white pepper, hot sauce, vinegar and soy sauce. Stir for a few seconds.

3. 3

   Add the tofu, mushrooms and wood ear mushrooms. Bring the soup back to a gentle simmer and cook for 2–3 minutes, so the mushrooms soften and everything heats through. Stir carefully — silken tofu breaks up easily.

4. 4

   Whisk together the cornstarch and water in a bowl. Slowly pour into the soup, stirring, until you reach your desired thickness.

5. 5

   Lightly beat the egg and pour it into the soup in a thin stream, stirring for about 8 seconds to create silky egg ribbons.

6. 6

   Ladle into bowls and top with the sliced BBQ pork and spring onions.