Beautiful Soup was Re: [Sca-cooks] fried egg on spam

[Sue Clemenger]

Thanks!
--Maire

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Phil Troy / G. Tacitus Adamantius" <adamantius.magister at verizon.net>
To: "Cooks within the SCA" <sca-cooks at ansteorra.org>
Sent: Sunday, December 18, 2005 8:34 PM
Subject: Re: Beautiful Soup was Re: [Sca-cooks] fried egg on spam


> 
> On Dec 18, 2005, at 3:27 PM, Sue Clemenger wrote:
> 
> > Ooooh, that sounds wonderful.  I think hot-and-sour soup is my #2  
> > all-time
> > favorite (clam chowder and tomato soups are tied for first place).   
> > I've
> > tried making my own at home, but haven't yet come across the right  
> > recipe.
> > What do you recommend?
> > --Maire
> 
> I make a reasonable approximation of what restaurants used to serve  
> 20 years ago, back when hot-and-sour soup was good... let's see...
> 
> 1 quart chicken stock
> 1 one-quarter-inch-thick slice of ginger, shredded and minced
> 1/4 lb raw shredded pork, or small shrimp (I have a little leftover  
> pork-and-shrimp wonton filling and will make little meatballs)
> 6-8 dried Chinese black mushrooms, soaked until soft and shredded,  
> reserve soaking liquid
> 1 handful (~2 Tbs) cloud ear fungus (the little ones that are dark  
> on both sides), soaked, drained, and picked over for hard parts or  
> bits of twig
> 1 handful (20 or 30) dried lily buds, soaked, drained, and hard stem  
> parts pinched off
> 2 scallions, shredded
> 1 or 2 eggs, beaten
> 1 1/2 tsp cornstarch
> white pepper, ground
> 1/2 cake bean curd, about 4-6 ounces, shredded
> 2 or 3 dried red chiles, crumbled, or chili paste to taste
> ~2-3 Tbs white, cider, malt or rice wine vinegar, or to taste
> 1 Tbs light soy sauce
> 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
> 
> Heat the chicken stock in a heavy saucepan with the mushroom shreds,  
> the ginger and the cloud ears and bring to a boil; add the lily buds.  
> While the stock heats, mix the pork shreds or shrimp with 1/2 tsp of  
> the cornstarch, a pinch of salt and a pinch of white pepper. Add  
> another pinch of white pepper to the stock.
> 
> In a small bowl (I use the bowl I'll end up eating the soup from),  
> mix the cornstarch and the soaking liquid from the black mushrooms  
> into a smooth slurry.
> 
>   When stock is boiling, add the pork or shrimp , stir to break up  
> clumps, then add the bean curd and reduce the heat to a very low  
> simmer. Add the chiles, stir, and let them steep in the soup for a  
> few minutes. Add the vinegar, then the cornstarch slurry, stirring  
> until the soup thickens slightly and returns to a low simmer.
> 
> Add the beaten eggs in a thin stream, a little at a time, stirring  
> periodically to break up large egg "flowers" as they rise to the top.  
> When eggs are all added and cooked by the hot soup, remove soup from  
> heat and add the light soy and the scallions.
> 
> Ladle into bowls with a few drops of the sesame oil in each bowl.
> 
> Sometimes I like to add a few freshly toasted peanuts as a garnish.
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> Adamantius