recipe: Hot and Sour Soup w/ Wontons

Makes 4 good size bowls

Don't skimp on the quality of ingredients and be careful with exact measurements

Feel free to use your own recipe for wontons and or purchase them at an Asian market. Follow any number of videos on YouTube for instruction on how to make them from scratch.

Amt/Measure/Ingredient

1/4 cup dried tree ears, rehydrated and cut into thin 2-inch x 1/8 julienne
1/4 cup dried lily buds, rehydreated, trimmed of tough end pieces and pulled apart in shreds
2 tbsp. Chinese dried black mushrooms rehydrated, stems removed so you only have the caps, and cut in 1/8 inch slices
(rehydrate in about 1 cup of hot water poured over the dried ingredients)---save the water and cool to add to the cornstarch

1 tablespoon peanut oil
4 ounces boneless pork, cut into thin 2-inch x 1/8 julienne
3 cups hot Chicken Stock, homemade is prefered
1/4 cup canned bamboo shoots, rinsed, drained, and cut into 2-inch x 1/8 julienne
1 large egg, beaten well
1/2 cake firm bean curd, cut in fourths horizontally, and then crosswise into 2-inch x 1/2 strips

2 tbsp. dark Chinese soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
1/2 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup distilled red vinegar
(1 cup cooled saved mushroom water)

1 tablespoon dark sesame oil
2 tbsp. scallion, trimmed and sliced thin

2 tbsp. cilantro leaves

Preparation:

Get everything ready, that means cutting, slicing and measuring every ingredient before you start cooking anything. The soup is meant to be eaten soon after it is cooked so think about setting your table too. Have the ingredients ready at you fingertips, be ready to open and measure.

In a pot heat the peanut oil on medium, add the jullienne pork and cook 2 minutes, the add the hot stock. Stir in the tree ears, lily buds, bamboo shoots and black mushrooms and return to a simmer add the beaten egg and stir for 30 seconds. Add the bean curd, dark soy, white pepper and bring to a slow boil be careful not to break up the bean curd. Mix the cool mushroom water with vinegar and cornstarch and stir so no lumps remain, the add to the boiling soup along with seasame oil and scallions, stir and return to a boil 1/2 a minute. Taste as you go, add salt to your liking but remember to go easy, add soy at the table to adjust the salt level to ones taste.

Serve in warm soup bowls garnish with cilantro leaves