This, being the month of Christmas, a holiday celebrated among 160 of the 195 countries that make up this planet, I’ve decided to do a monthly installment of how different countries around the world celebrate this special holiday in their kitchens and feature their signature holiday meals. Some may be sides, some may be mains, maybe a dessert or two, some may be a complete dinner. Only time will tell by which country my girls have randomly pulled out of Santa’s hat.
I believe this is my first truly Asian dish since launching my blog back in September. Took me long enough, no? You’re probably also wondering why am I still doing Christmas meals as we’re steadily approaching January. Well, if you didn’t know, Christmas doesn’t begin the day after Thanksgiving, contrary to popular-consumerist opinion. Christmas begins on December 25 and runs for 12 days...hence the popular song. So, I will be continuing my universal Christmas dish installation for another week.
Even though you may be getting back to the regular grind, or you’ve tired of making long extravagant meals, you can have a festival of flavors very quickly as this soup comes together in no time at all...less than 30 minutes! I received The Immigrant Cookbook as a Christmas present and I’m already putting it to use with an adaptation of a Taiwanese recipe that is included in the book. The soup is delicious on its own merits, but it was a little on the sweet side. I think this is due to the use of sriracha on top of sugar. So, below, I have reduced the sugar and upped the sriracha because it wasn’t that hot - and I’m not a huge spice guy. So don’t worry, I’m not going to melt your tongues off.
Warning though: once you dig into this soup, it’s going to be very hard to put the spoon down. I kept trying to break away to write this blog entry, but had to have 2 bowls before I could stop eating. Be sure NOT to use silken, nor extra-firm, tofu in this dish as it will either dissolve or break apart when whisking in the egg.
Hot and Sour Soup Adapted from The Immigrant Cookbook, Joanne Chang
2 tbsp canola oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tbsp minced fresh ginger
4 scallions, chopped small + 2 finely sliced for garnish
12 oz ground pork
4 cups chicken stock
1 lb of tofu (soft or firm), ¾-inch dice
6 oz fresh oyster mushrooms, sliced (wild blend or cremini will work, too)
1.5 tsp sugar
½ cup rice wine vinegar
3 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tsp ground black pepper
4 tsp sriracha (or 2 tsp gochujang)
2 eggs, beaten
In a soup pot, heat the oil over medium-high and stir in the garlic, ginger, chopped scallions and pork. Stir to incorporate and loosen up the pork slightly. After a minute, add in the chicken stock and let it come to a boil.
Once boiling, add in the tofu along with the mushrooms, sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, black pepper and sriracha. Let the soup return to a simmer and taste for any additional, desired seasoning needs.
Using a ladle, take about ½ cup of the broth and pour it into the eggs while whisking to temper the eggs. Then pour that tempered egg mixture into the pot while whisking the soup, slowly, as to not break up the tofu.
Serve in bowls and garnish with the remaining finely sliced scallions. Have more chili sauce on hand for those who want to up the heat. ______________________________
Copyright 2020, Brendan McCann, All Rights Reserved.
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