Szechuan hot and sour soup

The last time I've had hot and sour soup was the soup drenched over noodles. After a recent visit to Ginger Cafe, my taste buds and the hot-sour flavor "rekindled" their love. The Szechuan hot sour soup -四川酸辣汤 in Ginger Cafe was not the best I've eaten. I've had better ones. I did mention Szechuan hot sour soup -四川酸辣汤, is one of my favorite soups, didn't I? So, in order to let this love linger on, I was tempted to make my own Szechuan hot sour soup (四川酸辣汤), and so I did.

Chinese /Szechuan Hot and Sour Soup (serves 3-4)
Ingredients:
-1/4-1/3 lbs ground pork (option: use shredded pork)
-1 pack silken tofu
-1 small can of bamboo shoots
-6-8 pieces of shitake mushrooms, stems removed, wipe caps with damp paper towel, julienned
-1 small pack of enoki mushrooms, bottom 2-3cm cut and removed
-handful of black fungus, julienned
-2-3tbsp of hot bean paste -辣豆瓣酱
-1 egg, whisked
-2tsp cornflour, mixed with 2-3tbsp warm water
-2cups chicken broth
-black vinegar, to taste
-spring onions, for garnish

Seasoning for pork:
-1tsp cornflour
-1tbsp cooking wine
-pinch of pepper, and salt

Before adding the hot bean paste, you would not know Szechuan hot sour soup is brewing

That' more like it, after adding the hot bean paste

Method:
1. Mix pork seasoning with pork
2. Boil in a soup pot - the chicken broth, mix with 1-2 cup water (adjust accordingly)
3. When boiling, add in black fungus, mushrooms, bamboo shoots, pork and tofu, cook for 5-6mins
4. Add in hot bean paste, stir lightly, cook further 2-3mins; then add in cornflour+water to thicken the soup
5. After soup thickens, lower the heat, add in egg and black vinegar, then turn off heat
6. Garnish with spring onions and serve
Note: The color does not tell you it's spicy. It's mild spicy. Add some chili oil for the extra heat and oomph!

Goes really well with steamed rice. Another plate of minced pork fried with french beans, Szechuan style
-干煸四季豆 , will make it my meal!

Other posts:
Bittergourd soup
Doubled boiled soup
Tofu soup

We are both in love with tomatoes. When I made pita bread pizza, she made French bread pizza. Not limited to these two events. There are more "in-sync" and spooky(yes...to this extent) incidents - just that I've lost count. Take another recent example in her mango salsa. What's amazing, we are foodies alike, who knew each other from our blogs but have not seen each other in person. To do yet another objective "test", I did a search on her site after I made this soup, and this was what I found. See what we meant? Wandering Chopsticks, did you order this soup when you had Szechuan food recently?

Tag: szechuan, hot sour soup, szechuan hot sour soup, soup