Spicy Sour Soup

Ingredients

• 20 g dried mu-err mushroom
• 125 g lean pork (from the shoulder)
• 3 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tsp chili oil
• 200 g firm tofu
• 250 g bamboo shoots (sliced, drained weight, canned)
• 1 bunch scallions
• 1.25 l poultry broth
• 1 tbsp rice wine (or dry sherry or black tea)
• 2 Eggs
• 6 tbsp rice vinegar
• crushed Szechuan peppercorns
• crushed white pepper

Instructions

1. 1.

   Heat some water. Soak the mushrooms in lukewarm water for 30 minutes.

2. 2.

   Pat the pork dry, cut into 5 mm cubes and marinate with 2 tsp soy sauce and chili oil.

3. 3.

   Cut tofu into sticks 5 cm long and 5 mm thick. Drain bamboo shoots well. Trim scallions, wash and slice very thinly.

4. 4.

   Squeeze out excess moisture from mushrooms and cut into fine strips. Bring mushroom strips to a boil in the poultry broth and simmer for 5 minutes.

5. 5.

   Reduce heat, add pork and simmer for 25 minutes.

6. 6.

   After 25 minutes add bamboo shoots with remaining soy sauce and rice wine or sherry, and simmer for another 5 minutes.

7. 7.

   Whisk eggs, stir them into the boiling soup. Add tofu and warm briefly.

8. 8.

   Remove soup from heat, season with vinegar and plenty of pepper. Serve in bowls garnished with scallions.