Prep Information
Prep Time
30 minutes
Cook Time
15 minutes
Serves
4-6 people
Includes
Ingredients
- 4 dried Chinese fungi (about 1 oz.) such as wood ears or cloud ears
- 2 Tablespoons Coratina Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and minced finely or grated
- 1 Tablespoon red chile paste, such as sambal oleek
- 1/2 cup canned sliced bamboo shoots
- 1/4 lb. shredded barbecue pork
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground white pepper
- Pinch of sugar
- 2 quarts chicken stock
- 1 block firm tofu, drained and sliced in 1/4-inch strips
- 3 Tablespoons cornstarch mixed with 1/4 cup water
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- Chopped green onions and cilantro leaves for garnish
Instructions
- Put the wood ears in a small bowl, cover with boiling water and let stand for 30 minutes to reconstitute. Drain and rinse them. Discard any hard clusters in the centers.
- Heat the Coratina Extra Virgin Olive Oil in a wok or large pot over medium-high heat. Add the ginger, chili paste, wood ears, bamboo shoots, and pork, cooking and stirring for 1 minute. Combine the soy sauce, vinegar, salt, pepper and sugar in a small bowl, pour it into the wok and toss everything together. It will be very fragrant. Pour in the chicken stock, bring the soup to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the tofu and cook for three minutes.
- Dissolve the cornstarch in the water and stir until smooth. Pour a little soup broth into the slurry and mix thoroughly until well mixed. Pour into the rest of the soup, mix well, and continue to simmer until the soup thickens.
- Remove the soup from the burner and begin to stir the soup in one direction to get the soup moving like a current. Then stop stirring and slowly pour in the beaten eggs in a steady stream and watch it spin around and feather in the broth. It will cook almost immediately.
- Garnish the hot and sour soup with chopped green onions and cilantro before serving.