Hot and Sour Soup - Szechuan

Photo: flickr user jasonlam

Ingredients

3 Dried wood ears

20 Dried tiger lily buds

3 cups Hot water

1/4 pound Pork butt

1/2 teaspoon Rice wine or dry sherry

1/2 teaspoon Cornstarch

1 teaspoon Sesame oil

1 teaspoon Salt

2 ounces Fresh mushrooms, sliced

1/4 cup Shredded bamboo shoots

1 3" square bean curd, sliced

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

2 teaspoons White vinegar and adjust

5 tablespoons Cornstarch

5 tablespoons Water

1 Egg, beaten

1/2 teaspoon Black pepper

1/2 teaspoon White pepper

1 tablespoon Sesame oil

6 1/2 cups Chicken broth or white veg stock

1/4 cup Water chestnuts

Preparation

Soak wood ears and lily buds in 3 cups hot water 15 minutes to soften.

Remove stems from softened wood ears. Shred wood ears with a cleaver.

Slice pork into thin strips. Use a cleaver to chop strips into shreds.

Combine marinade ingredients in a small bowl. Add pork shreds; mix well.

Let stand 15 minutes. Combine chicken broth and salt in a medium saucepan.

Bring to a boil over high heat; reduce heat to medium. Add mushrooms, waterchestnuts, bamboo shoots, wood ears and lily buds to broth. Simmer 3 to 4minutes. Add pork shreds with marinade and bean curd. Bring to a boil.

Addworcestershire sauce and vinegar, if desired. Dissolve cornstarch in 5 tablespoons water to make a paste. Slowly stir into soup. Cook over mediumheat until soup thickens slightly. Stir egg into soup. Add black pepper, white pepper and sesame oil.