Authentic Hot and Sour Soup

My PoPo was a child of 12, with 9 of the children being girls! Can you imagine having that many built in best friends?! My Great Grandparents owned a Chinese restaurant and worked very hard to serve everyone. This is where my PoPo learned how to be such an amazing cook, working in the family restaurant!! And I guess where part of my love for food and cooking stemmed from. I have so many fond memories of my PoPo and a lot of them are when we were in the kitchen together. She made the best food, but most of the time all the recipes were in her head and not written down. She knew all the ingredients she wanted but wouldn’t measure anything out, just magically add them together to taste. She was full of tips and trick that she would rattle off for us to remember when we would make the food. The last time she made this soup, I had requested it right after my daughter was born, and I’m pretty sure I downed the pot almost all by myself. So with a few phone calls to my mom and really digging back into my memory bank, here is the recipe I can recall!

My PoPo always added whiskey or some kind of alcohol to her meat, so that is where the whiskey comes into play. She said it would make the meat tender and I have to agree, it definitely does. This step may seem strange, but is necessary in my opinion. After you slice your pork, add the whiskey and cornstarch. If the cornstarch seems to be clumping, just add a little water to make the mixture smooth. Set it aside to marinate as you prep your other ingredients. Do not throw away the bones, these will boil in the chicken broth. As my mom reminded me, this is the secret to giving the soup a little sweetness.

Pour the chicken broth into a large stock pot and place the pork bones into the broth. While the broth is coming to a boil, slice the shiitake mushrooms, give a rough chop to the woodear, slice the green onion, and cut the tofu into strips. Once the broth is boiling, add the pork into the stockpot. Give it a quick stir. Then add in the sesame oil, soy sauce, and white pepper. Stirring until everything is mixed in.

Cook the pork for about 5 minutes, then add in the lily flower, shiitake mushrooms, woodear, green onions, and bamboo shoots (I buy mine already sliced into strips). Place your lid on the pot and cook for about 10 minutes, simmering.

Take the lid off the pot and stir the soup in a circular motion, as the soup is swirling and boiling (make sure it is boiling), pour in the egg whites. Continuously stirring in a circular motion around the pot. Add in the tofu strips, place lid back on pot for about another 5 minutes.

Add in white vinegar and remove the pork bones. Mix together cornstarch with a few splashes of water. Stir together until smooth, then add into the pot and mix soup together to thicken. This isn’t a lot of cornstarch for this much chicken broth, but we always made it a thinner soup and served over rice. Feel free to add more cornstarch slurry to thicken the soup to your liking. Also you can add more vinegar if you like it vinegary like me!! I always add lots more. And white pepper and soy sauce if you need it saltier and pepperier. I usually leave these things out by the pot so everyone can season to their preference, but some like it just like the recipe so I never want to over season for others!

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Ingredients

Hot and Sour Soup

• 16 cups chicken broth

• 2 pork lion chops (on bone)

• 1 tbsp whiskey

• 1/4 cup and 2 tbsp cornstarch, divided

• 2 1/2 tbsp sesame oil

• 4 1/2 tbsp soy sauce

• 1 1/2 tsp white pepper

• 1 cup lily flower, dried and rehydrated - this is the dried measurement

• 7 shiitake mushrooms, dried and rehydrated

• 1/2 cup woodear, dried and rehydrated - this is the dried measurement

• 1 green onion, chopped

• 1 can bamboo shoots, rinsed

• 4 egg whites

• 1 package tofu

• 1/4 cup white vinegar

instructions:

1. About 2 to 3 hours before making the soup, make sure to add the shiitake mushrooms, woodear, and lily flower to separate bowls of cold water to rehydrate. Once they are hydrated and plump, rinse and clean the mushrooms, woodear, and lily flower separately under cold water, until water in the bowl runs clear

2. In a large stock pot add chicken stock and pork bones over medium high heat

2. Slice the pork into strips and add in whiskey, 2 tbsp of cornstarch and a dash of water. Mix together until smooth. Let marinade until the chicken broth comes to a boil. Once the chicken broth is boiling, add in the pork, sesame oil, soy sauce, and white pepper, stirring until everything is mixed in. Cook for about 5 minutes

3. Slice the rehydrated shiitake mushrooms, give a rough chop to the rehydrated woodear, slice the green onion, and cut the tofu into strips. Add everything in, except the tofu strips, into the stock pot. Place lid on the pot and cook for about 10 minutes, simmering

4. Stir the soup in a circular motion, as the soup is swirling and boiling (make sure it is boiling), pour in the egg whites. Continuously stirring in a circular motion around the pot. Add in the tofu strips, place lid back on pot for about another 5 minutes.

5. Add in white vinegar and remove the pork bones. Mix together 1/4 cup cornstarch with a few splashes of water. Stir together until smooth, then add into the pot and mix soup together to thicken. Simmer for another couple minutes and serve

*Serve over rice and garnish with green onions // see below for video of how to make!

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