Chinese · Northern China
Hot and Sour Soup
Hot and sour soup (suan la tang) is the perfect balance of sour, hot, salty, and savoury — vinegar-acidulated pork broth with silken tofu, wood ear mushrooms, bamboo shoots, lily buds, and egg. The heat comes from white pepper, not chilli, and the sourness from Chinkiang (black) vinegar. The soup should be tightly thickened with cornstarch — it should coat a spoon without being gluey.
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I
The Market List
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1L
chicken or pork stock
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
100g
pork loin
sliced thin
Your own market
75g
60g
2 tbsp
Chinkiang vinegar
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
15ml
soy sauce
1 tsp
white pepper
freshly ground
Your own market
1
egg
beaten
Your own market
20g
2
scallions
sliced
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
5g
sesame oil
Your own market
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II
The Method
1
Bring stock to a rolling boil in a large pot; add pork slices and cook 2 minutes until just cooked through.
2
Add bamboo shoots and wood ear mushrooms; simmer 2 minutes.
3
Season with Chinkiang vinegar, soy sauce, and white pepper; taste and adjust balance of sour and salty.
4
Slowly drizzle beaten egg into the simmering broth while stirring gently to create delicate ribbons; cook 1 minute.
5
Stir cornstarch slurry and pour into soup in a thin stream while stirring until soup thickens slightly and turns translucent, about 1 minute.
6
Remove from heat; drizzle sesame oil over the surface.
7
Ladle into bowls and garnish with sliced scallions; serve immediately.
IV
Sensory Tests
◇Where it lives or dies. The moment where hot and sour soup lives or dies is the final seasoning — add the Chinkiang vinegar off heat, taste immediately, and adjust. The soup should be unmistakably sour with a lingering white pepper heat. If the sour fades within 10 seconds of tasting, add more Chinkiang. The vinegar should stay present from the first sip to the last.
Pillars V — VII
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