Hot And Sour Soup - 5

Grrrrrgh!
Course : Chinese
From: HungryMonster.com
Serves: 1
 

Ingredients:

15 milliliters peanut or vegetable oil
1 clove garlic
5 milliliters ginger root -- (about 2 slices)
125 grams boneless pork loin -- shredded
25 milliliters soy sauce or tamari
140 grams bamboo shoots -- shredded
6 medium dried shiitake mushrooms
10 medium dried lily buds -- (also called golden needle)
12 medium dried tree ear fungus -- (also called cloud e
1 liter chicken broth
15 milliliters dry sherry
50 milliliters red wine vinegar
15 milliliters cornstarch
60 milliliters water
1 piece tofu pad
50 grams green onions
2 large eggs
15 milliliters toasted sesame oil
3 milliliters chili oil
1 milliliter white pepper
1 teaspoon salt and more pepper
 

Preparation:

1. Rehydrate the dried ingredients (15 minutes: in lukewarm water for the shiitakes, and in boiling water for the lily buds and tree ears). Heat the chicken broth (if it's canned, prepare it). 2. Mince the garlic and ginger root and combine them. Shred the pork loin. Shred the bamboo shoots. Combine the cornstarch and the water. Chop the green onions. Lightly beat the eggs. 3. Heat oil in wok (medium), add the garlic and ginger, stirring 30 seconds. 4. Add the pork, cooking until it loses its pink color. 5. Add the soy sauce, cook for 1 minute more. 6. Add bamboo shoots, shiitakes, lily buds, tree ear fungi, stir quickly for 1 minute. 7. Stir in chicken broth, sherry, and vinegar. 8. Stir cornstarch/water mix one last time and add it to the soup. 9. Add the tofu and bring the soup to a boil. 10. Turn the heat to low, add the green onions. 11. Add the beaten eggs in a slow stream, stirring several times. 12. Turn off the heat and add the sesame oil, chili oil, white pepper. Season to taste and serve immediately. Author's Notes: I have seldom been to a Chinese restaurant without having hot and sour soup, and it was pleasant to discover how easy it is to make it at home. We have fixed this by itself as a dinner for two with enough left over for lunch. Particularly when we add extra meat and vegetables, we find it a very hearty soup which is surprisingly easy to make. Like many Chinese recipes, it takes longer to prepare the ingredients than it does to cook the soup. As I understand it, hot and sour soup, traditionally, is a Northern Chinese way of using leftovers. Therefore, there are many, many variations possible, particularly in the dried ingredients. We never make it exactly the same way twice. I recommend using the shiitakes at least; most any grocery store has them. You may find tree ears and lily buds in an oriental food store. Difficulty : easy to moderate Precision : no need to measur