Hot and Sour soup - for four small bowls
Chinese Dried Mushrooms - if you can't get these then use fresh shitake mushrooms - if you can't get those then maybe try ordinary mushrooms. However i always find that fresh mushrooms get a bit of a strange texture if you put them in into soups, so i would recommend slicing them and then frying them off first.
handful of Bacon Lardons (I use the pancetta cubes)
handful of Prawns (can use the little cooked frozen ones)
2 eggs beaten with a bit of salt
small tin of bamboo shoots - slice the flat strips into thinner strips lengthways
small block of firm/pressed tofu which you cube into smaller cubes about 1cm in size (if you can't get tofu then don't worry about it but just makes it a bit more filling)
About 2 tablespoons of light soya sauce
About 1 1/2 tablespoons of Chinese Black vinegar. Not sure how readily available this is but I have read that balsamic vinegar is a good substitute for this, i think it would be a little bit sweeter and I would prob go with 2 tablespoons of balsamic.
1 heaped teaspoon of ground white pepper. Has to be the white pepper as this provides the heat in the soup and black pepper would not have the same effect.
1 tablespoon of cornflour with about 2 tablespoons of water mixed into a paste.
Sliced spring onions on top to serve.
1 litre of stock
Bring stock to the boil and add the lardons, simmer for a minute.
If you are using dried Chinese mushrooms (use about 4-5 mushrooms) then you need to soak them by putting them into a large bowl and pour hot water over to cover them - you will need to leave them for about 1 hour - they will then swell up and look reconstituted. I just had a thought that you may be able to use those sliced dried porcini mushrooms but I have never done this so I am not sure what the taste would be like. Anyway once the mushrooms are soft again, then slice them thinly, but throw the slice that is attached to the stalk as this will be too tough.
If you are using fresh shitake mushrooms - use about a box, you don't get much in those boxes, then slice them into smallish pieces and then fry them off til they are fully cooked and drain off the oil. I have never used fresh mushrooms before so this is just a suggestion.
Add the mushrooms to the stock and lardons. Then add the sliced bamboo shoots. Simmer for about 5 minutes to allow the mushrooms to swell up more. Add the tofu. Now add the soya sauce and the vinegar and the pepper. Taste for any extra seasoning. If you want it more sour add more vinegar or if you like it very hot add more pepper.
You can also add any leftover cooked meats if they are cut up small and i've seen some restaurants add frozen peas as well.
Now slowly pour in the beaten egg as you are stirring the soup so that the egg separates into strands. Cook for a couple of minutes and add the prawns to warm through then add the cornflour mixture til it thickens. Again if you want it thicker then add more cornflour mixture - if it goes too thick then add more stock or water to thin it out. Serve with sliced spring onions on top.
It is authentic to use pepper and not add any chilli to it which is what some restaurants do - you will find the pepper will make it really hot. It needs to look a dark brown colour.