Chinese Hot and Sour Soup Recipe

Chinese Hot and Sour Soup, vegan style

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup cornstarch blended with 1/4 cup water
• 2 dried red chili peppers
• 3 ounces meat substitute (see suggestions below)
• 1/4 cup each (soaked for at least 1-2 hours)
  • dried lily flower
  •  wood ears
  • dried shiitake mushrooms
• 1/4 cup each
  • spiced tofu
  • firm tofu
  • bamboo shoots (canned or fresh)
• 4 ounces silken tofu
• 2 scallions
• 8 cups vegan chicken stock
• 1/2 tsp white pepper
• 1 T dark soy sauce
• 2 tsp sesame oil
• 3 T white vinegar
• 1 pinch of date sugar

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Directions:

1. Stir cornstarch into water until completely dissolved.
2. Cut the dried chili peppers in half and discard the seeds. Mince the peppers and set aside. (Keep the seeds if you want to increase the broth’s spiciness.)
3. Slice the meat substitute into small strips. Place into a bowl with a teaspoon of corn starch liquid.  Stir it all together.
4. Soak the dried lily flower, wood ears, and mushrooms for an hour or two until hydrated.  After soaking, slice the mushrooms and roughly chop the wood ears. Trim the tough ends off the lily flowers and cut them in half.
5. Cut the spiced tofu and the firm tofu into 2 inch long and ¼ inch thick pieces.
6. Slice the winter bamboo shoots into the same shape.
7. Wash and chop the scallion and set aside.
8. Whip the silken tofu to a pudding-like consistency.

9. Now the assembly and cooking:

   1. Bring the stock to a boil in a wok or pot and add the meat substitute. Stir to ensure the slices are not clumped together. Skim off any foam that floats to the top.
10. Add the chili pepper, white pepper, and both soy sauces, and check the soup for salt. Add the lily flowers, wood ears, mushrooms and bamboo shoots, and bring the soup to a simmer. Add both kinds of tofu, sesame oil, vinegar, and a pinch of date sugar and stir until the broth thickens.
11. Bring the mixture to a simmer. Use a soup ladle to stir the soup at the center of the wok in a steady circular motion to make a whirlpool while slowly pouring the cornstarch slurry in a thin stream. This prevents the cornstarch from clumping. Stop when you are about ¾ of the way done with your slurry to check the consistency of the soup. It should be thick enough to coat your spoon or ladle. Add the rest if needed.
12. Keep the soup simmering and use the same technique with the silken tofu and again, make sure the motion is fast enough or you will end up with clumps instead of the beautiful swirls or  “flowers”, as the Chinese call it.
13. Garnish with the chopped scallions and serve.