Spicy Hot and Sour Soup With Pork

Hot and Sour soup is one of my favorite foods. I grew up in the NYC metro area so it was always easy to get delicious soup anytime. Unfortunately I'm currently living in a part of the country where that is not the case! I'm taking it on myself to come up with recipes that are satisfying when I'm homesick. This is a combination of several recipes I tried, but mainly Tyler Florence's. The pork is easier to cut if you put it in the freezer for ten minutes first.

• Ready In: 45 mins
• Serves: 6

Ingredients

• 8  ounces shiitake mushrooms, sliced
• 4  ounces  oyster mushrooms, sliced
• 2  tablespoons  oil
• 1 -2  tablespoon  chili paste
• 1  tablespoon ginger paste (or minced ginger)
• 4  garlic cloves, smashed
• 1⁄2 cup bamboo shoot, thinly sliced (one small can's worth)
• 1⁄4 cup soy sauce
• 1⁄4 cup rice vinegar
• 1  teaspoon salt
• 1⁄2 teaspoon white pepper (or more to taste)
• 1  pinch sugar
• 6  cups chicken broth
• 3  tablespoons cornstarch, dissolved in 1/4 cup water
• 1  piece firm tofu, drained, sliced and chopped (optional)
• 2  large eggs, lightly beaten
• 3  scallions, chopped
• 3⁄4 lb  pork chop, thinly sliced
•  cornstarch
•  white pepper
• 1  teaspoon  oil

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high flame.
2. Add the smashed garlic, ginger paste, chili paste, shiitake and oyster mushrooms, and bamboo shoots. Cook 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly.
3. Mix the soy sauce, vinegar, salt, pepper, and sugar in a small bowl, pour it into the pot. Cook 2-3 minutes to let flavors blend.
4. Pour in the chicken broth, bring the soup to a boil, and simmer for 10 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, dust pork with cornstarch. You will probably need about 2-3 tbsp, depending on how much pork you have. Season with a few shakes of white pepper and mix thoroughly.
6. Heat a pan with 1 tbsp oil and fry pork until mostly cooked through. It will finish cooking in the soup but you want the outside a little brown. Add to soup.
7. If you haven't already, dissolve the 3 tbsp cornstarch in the 1/4 cup water and stir until smooth. Pour into the soup and continue to simmer 5 more minutes, until soup thickens. If using tofu, add at this step.
8. Remove the soup from the heat and stir in 1 direction until the soup is spinning on its own. Then, slowly pour in eggs in a steady stream using a fork to stir if necessary to break up pieces. (The egg should be cooked almost immediately.).
9. Add scallions and enjoy!