I made this soup for my birthday last year, and it was a great success. Now, I finally remembered to share it with the world as well. This recipe is mainly vegan, but can also include meat and non-vegan ingredients if you so wish.
Ingredients
For non vegan:
- Chicken stock instead of veggie stock
- Shredded chicken
- Eggs
Main ingredients
- Veggie stock
- Soft or silken tofu
- Dried shiitake mushrooms
- Fresh (or dried) chestnut mushrooms (woodear also works i’ve heard)
- Bamboo shoots
- Carrot
- Cornstarch
- Chinkiang vinegar (else regular rice vinegar)
- Light soy sauce
- Dark soy sauce (for a bit of color and salinity)
- White pepper (black pepper works, but is less suitable)
- Sesame oil
- Sichuanese chili oil (or regular chili oil) (garnish)
- Spring onions (garnish)
- Cilantro (garnish)
Cooking plan
- Slice your dried mushrooms into strips and soak them in warm water for about half an hour. Don’t use too much water, as the residual water can act as a flavor booster for the soup, and you don’t want to dilute it.
- Slice your carrot and bamboo shoots into strips (not too thick).
- (Optional step for extra flavor!) Stir fry your mushrooms, carrot and bamboo together for a bit to give it a bit of browning and. release more of its flavors. The soup will absorb a lot of flavors already, but this may deepen them.
- In a large pot, bring your stock to a boil. Add together your mushrooms, carrot, bamboo (and shredded chicken if applicable). Turn the heat down to a medium heat after a few minutes, and let this simmer and reduce to let all the flavors meld in your pot. Simmer the soup for at least 10 minutes.
- Then, add in thin strips or almost ribbens your tofu.
- Next, thicken the soup using a mixture of water and cornstarch. Mix until the soup gives a bit of resistance, but don’t let it become too thick. It should slightly coat the back of a spoon. Be careful with stiring now, as the tofu can break easily. When the sauce is thicker, turn the heat down to low.
- If using eggs, whisk them into a bowl, then slowly pour the egg mixture into the pan while sting continuously. This will create thing egg ribbons inside of your soup.
- Next, season the soup to taste using soy sauce, sesame oil, white pepper, and vinegar (vinegar should not get too hot to retain its sour notes).
- Garnish using thinly sliced spring onions and chopped cilantro. Stir it into the soup and serve it warm. Add a dash of chili oil on top for presentation, aroma and deeper flavors.
ENJOY!!