Hot & Sour Soup (Vegetarian)

By sincial

Ingredients

• 3 dried shiitake Mushroom, re-hydrate
• 2 dried Chinese wood ear fungi, re-hydrate (about 1 ounce)
• 1/2 cup of Carrots, julienne
• 1/2 cup of celery, julienne
• 1/2 cup of Onions,sliced
• 1/2 cup canned bamboo shoots, julienne)
• 1 square soft tofu, drained and julienne
• 2 small garlic cloves
• 1/4 cup of Soured cabbage, julienne (optional)
• 2 tablespoons Veg oil
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup rice vinegar
• 1/2 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon red chile paste or fresh red pepper(to taste)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground white pepper (black pepper ok as well)
• Pinch sugar
• 2 quarts Veg stock, or just water
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch mixed with 1/4 cup water
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten (optional)
• Chopped green onions and cilantro leaves, for garnish

Details

Preparation time 30mins
Cooking time 45mins
Adapted from icook.tw

Preparation

Step 1

Put the wood ears and the dry shiitake mushroom in a small bowl and soak in hot water to reconstitute, about 15 minutes. Drained, Cut of the hard piece from the fungi, and julienne both.

Heat the veg oil in a large pot over medium-high flame. Add the mushroom, onion, garlic, chili paste; cook and stir for 1 minute to infuse the flavor. add water or veggie broth, add the remaining ingredients(wood ears, bamboo shoots, celery and carrots), the soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil salt, pepper, and sugar. bring the soup to a boil, and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the tofu and cook for 3 minutes.

Dissolve the cornstarch in the water and stir until smooth. Mix the slurry into the soup and continue to simmer until the soup thickens. Remove the soup from the heat and stir in 1 direction to get a current going, then stop stirring. Slowly pour in the beaten eggs in a steady stream and watch it spin around and feather in the broth (it should be cooked almost immediately.) Garnish the hot and sour soup with chopped green onions and cilantro before serving.