Hot and Sour Soup with Pork and Wood Ear Mushrooms
Black vinegar and white pepper carry this one, thickened with cornstarch and laced with pork, tofu, and wood ear mushrooms.
- Serves
- 4
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 20 min
- Written
Method
-
Soak the wood ear mushrooms in hot water until softened and pliable, about 15 minutes, then drain and slice into thin strips.
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Toss the pork strips with 1 tablespoon of the soy sauce and let sit while you prep everything else.
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Bring the chicken stock to a simmer in a saucepan.
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Add the pork and simmer until no longer pink, about 2 minutes.
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Stir in the wood ear mushrooms, bamboo shoots, and tofu, and return to a simmer.
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Add the black vinegar, remaining soy sauce, and white pepper.
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Whisk the cornstarch into the cold water until smooth, stir into the soup, and simmer until it thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 1 minute.
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Lower the heat until the surface barely moves, then drizzle in the beaten eggs in a thin, steady stream while stirring gently in one direction.
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Let the egg sit undisturbed for about 10 seconds so it sets into ribbons, then stir once more to separate them.
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Stir in the sesame oil and season with salt.
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Ladle into bowls and top with scallions and a drizzle of chili oil.
Notes
This is the vinegar-and-pepper cousin of Egg Drop Soup, not a variation on it — taste as you go and don’t be shy with the black vinegar and white pepper, since a timid hand here is the most common way this soup turns bland. The wood ear mushrooms and bamboo shoots are what give it bite against the silky egg and tofu.
For a meatless version, drop the pork and use vegetable stock — the tofu carries enough body on its own that you won’t miss it.