Hot and Sour Soup

Used in several Chinese dishes, dried lily buds are the unopened flower of day lilies. You can purchase them online or at an Asian grocery.

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

6 dried mushrooms

1 ⁄4 cup dried lily buds

1 cake firm tofu

6 cups chicken stock, or 5 cups stock and 1 cup mushroom soaking liquid

1 ⁄4 cup ground pork

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons mildly sweetened rice vinegar

1 ⁄2 teaspoon white pepper, or to taste

1 tablespoon tapioca starch

1 ⁄4 cup water

1 egg white, lightly beaten

1 green onion, minced

A few drops of sesame oil

1. Soak the dried mushrooms in hot water for 20 minutes to soften. Give the mushrooms a little squeeze to remove excess water and cut into thin slices. Reserve the soaking liquid if desired. Soak the dried lily buds in hot water for 20 minutes. Drain.

2. Cut the tofu into cubes.

3. In a large saucepan, bring the chicken stock or stock and mushroom liquid mixture to a boil. When it is boiling, add the mushrooms, lily buds, tofu, and the ground pork.

4. Bring back to a boil and add the salt, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and white pepper.

5. Mix the tapioca starch and water and slowly pour it into the soup, stirring. When the soup thickens, turn off the heat.

6. Pour in the egg white and stir quickly to form thin shreds. Stir in the green onion. Drizzle with sesame oil. Give a final stir.

Freezing Instructions

This dish can be prepared ahead of time and frozen. Prepare the soup, leaving out the tofu and egg. When ready to serve, thaw the soup, add the tofu, and bring to a boil. When the soup is boiling, add the beaten egg white.

hancheng

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