The Ultimate Hot Sweet Sour Soup Untitled

If you had been lived in the US. You would know every Chinese restaurant you go. It will have the egg drop soup, wontons soup and sweet sour soup on the menu. But it’s never be the same like that I had from Taiwan or China. The egg drop soup never be sticky, wonton will be always light and airy the clouds very silky and easy to be swallowed. It will never been like giant dumplings with thicker wrappers. I had hard time to get used to it, even after I had been live in America more than twenty years. Chinese also called sour spicy soup instead of sweet sour soup. The good news is, although the name had been called differently, but the flavors from the sweet sour soup was pretty close to the original taste. My kids love the hot sweet sour soup from the Chinese restaurant we had been going for 20 years. They could handle the heat, as long they have glass of cold water on the side. It’s just sad they couldn’t find too many meat in the soup. That’s how I started to make it in my own kitchen. I could add whatever I want to eat, real ingredients with great qualities. I don’t even need to spend too much money, but I could watch my kids enjoy this hot sweet sour soup with joys. More than that, Each time I make this dish. I have to say, I admire Chinese ancestors’s talent. they always find the way to us very limited ingredients to make the food looks festival. I hope I could pass this amazing food culture to my American kids, and they could this tradition to every generation.

The Ultimate Hot Sweet Sour Soup

Preparation time:

1. 30 minutes at least to make the pork broth cooked.

* I ways make this ahead and storage in freezer.

2. 10 minutes for chopping all the ingredients. 15 minutes to make the soup.

6 servings.

Ingredients:

1. 3 boneless Pork chops thin sliced, cut it against the grain.

2. 1 cup carrots thin sliced.

3. 1 cup dry mushroom, soak in the hot water till soft, then thin sliced, squeezed the water out, but remain the juice.

4. 1 cup bamboo shoot from can , blanch in the hot water for 5 minutes, then rinse under the cold water, drained.

5. 1 cup dry fungus, soak in the hot water till it all opened, discard the water, then thin sliced.

6. 1 cup of tofu thin sliced.

7. 2 scallion, white root part cut into 2 inch length for saute, green part diced for finish.

8. 2 pound of pork born to make 6 cups or more pork broth.

9. 4 tablespoons tapioca or sweet potato flour or mix both of flour. Add in the same amount of water then mix it well as thicken ingredient. *You may need more it depends how much the soup you are making!

10. 1/2 cup of cilantro roughly chopped.

11. 2 tablespoons more tapioca or sweet potato flours to marinate the pork. 12. 3 scallions white parts chopped them in 2 inches long for aromatic in sauté, diced the green part of scallions then mix with the roughly chopped cilantro when it ready to serve the soup.

Flavors for the pork marinated:

1. 2 tablespoon soy sauce.

2. 1 tablespoon of Sake.

3. 2 tablespoon of water.

4. lots of white pepper for your own taste.

Flavor for the soup:

1. 4 tablespoons soy sauce.

2. 1 tablespoon rice vinegar, or any white vinegar will work too.

3. 1 teaspoon sugar.

4. 1 large red chili pepper or more.

5. Salt & white pepper.

6. 2 tablespoon or more of balsamic vinegar or any black vinegar.

Pork broth :

Simply place the pork bones and cold water together in the large pot, bring it to the boil with high heat, without the lid. Skin out the residue. Add in more water when the liquid is getting less. Remain on medium high heat till meat could almost falling from the bones. The longer it cook the rich broth you will get. Take out the pork bones with drainer. Pour in the air tight container and store in the freezer. It will be good in 3 month. You could place the pork bones with cold water then bring it to the boil till no blood has been seemed, discarded the water, rinse it well, add in the new water again to make the pork broth. This way you will avoid to skin out lots of floating residue.

Enjoy the meat with a touch of good soy sauce, like the grandma use to served in the kitchen. Simply finger liking good ....

Marinate the pork with soy sauce, Sake, and white pepper, add in about 2 tablespoons of water too. Massage the meat well till it absorb all the liquid. Then add in 2 tablespoon tapioca flours with pork, mix well. Set aside about 15 minutes for later use, or keep fresh in the refrigerator.

Heat up the pan with medium high heat, add in cold oil and white part of scallion and mushroom, sauté till the fragrance come out. Add in the pork broth, mushroom juice, black fungus, and the soy sauce for the colors then bring it to the boil. Seasoning with rice vinegar, sugar, salt, and lots of white peppers. Following the bamboo shoots, carrots. Bring it to boil again.

Then, one hand used serving tablespoon to stir the soup, the other hand pouring the tapioca, potatoes flour and water mixture from highly above the pot. Gradually add in the tapioca or sweet potatoes flour and water mixture in the soup and make it thickened. Give it a few seconds let the heat to bring out the thickness when you are adding in the flour mixture. Then, you could decide the thickness that you like and keep going to add more flour mixture or stop. Turn the heat low, once the soup that you satisfy the got thickness.

Try to separate each thin sliced pork by hand, then slowly add in to the sticky soup. Soup will be very hot at this point, so the pork will be cooked in no time. Meat will be stay silky and tender. Place in tofu, add in the balsamic vinegar and mix well but gently.

* Stick soup is crazy hot, please be careful and don't burn yourself.

When you are ready to serve, drizzle some more balsamic vinegar or white pepper by your own taste. Don’t forget to sprinkle the diced scallion and cilantro on top the soup, it will be very bright and refreshing.

Yeh’s loves to add some white noodles it the soup, it will become a meal by itself. This soup is thick with all different texture ingredients, hot, slightly sweet, and sour. It’s a very appetizing dish to open your palates. You will refill your bowl with this hot sweet sour soup again and again. It’s the easiest dish to make, if you could have patient to chop all the ingredients. Don’t forget this soup will be the best partner for dumplings. Ready to make some hot sweet sour soup now?

如果你在美國居住過你就會知道中國餐館裡都會有蛋花湯, 餛飩湯和酸辣湯的菜色. 但是這些食物和我所知道的在中國或是台灣是很不一樣的東西. 蛋花湯不曾見過有勾芡的, 餛飩應該是像雲一樣輕柔而且口感的像絲綢, 滑順易食. 絕對不會是比水餃還要大顆, 而且又是皮非常厚實的餛飩. 即使我在美國居住二十多年了, 我還是很難接受它們. 酸辣湯也被稱為甜酸湯. 雖然名字換了, 還好味道跟原始的還挺像的! 我家孩子們很愛去了二十多年的中國餐廳裡的酸辣湯. 他們可以吃辣, 但必須有杯冰水在旁伺候著. 只是常常在湯裡撈不到幾條肉而感到失望. 這也是為什我開始在自己的廚房做起了這道菜的原因. 愛吃什麼就放什麼, 料多實在. 其實也不用花多少錢就可以看著孩子們吃的開開心心的! 而且, 我每次做這份焿湯時, 都不得不佩服中國袓先的智慧. 總是能把一些小東西做成一道道美麗的嚮宴. 希望我可以把祖先的美食文化代代相傳!

酸辣湯

準備時間:

豬高湯至少煮三十分鐘, 我總是提前把它做好放在冷凍裡面.

10-15分鐘切好所有食材.

15分鐘做羹湯.

材料:

1. 三塊豬肉大里肌肉排逆紋切絲.

2. 一杯切細絲的紅蘿蔔.

3. 一杯香菇, 泡熱水使其軟之, 擠出水分,切細絲, 留下香菇汁待用.

4. 1 杯罐裝的荀絲, 用沸水煮5分鐘, 然後用冷水沖洗瀝乾. 這是用來去除酸苦味的步驟.

5. 1 杯切細絲的黑木耳, 熱水先浸泡, 等木耳全開了, 去除浸泡的水, 再切細絲.

6. 1 杯切絲的豆腐.

7. 2 根葱, 葱白切斷用來炒, 葱綠切末在最後用.

8. 一磅或更多的豬背骨頭做6 杯高湯用.

9. 4 大匙的太白粉或蕃薯粉混合4大匙的冷水做勾芡用. 也許需要更多 ....

10. 再加上2大匙的太白粉或蕃薯粉入醃製的豬肉.

豬肉的醃製的調味料 :

1. 3 大湯匙的醬油.

2. 1大湯匙的清酒.

3. 2 大匙的水.

1. 依自己口味調整許多的白胡椒.

羹湯的調味料 :

1. 4 大湯匙的醬油.

2. 1 大湯匙的白醋.

3. 1 大湯匙的糖.

5. 1 棵紅辣椒或是更多.

6. 塩和白胡椒.

7. 2大湯匙的黑醋, 或是更多.

豬高湯 :

簡單地用新鮮的豬骨頭加冷水用大火一起煮沸, 撈去殘留物, 改用中大火, 不加蓋煮至骨頭上面的肉都快掉落. 煮的越久湯頭就越濃郁. 使用濾杓取出骨頭, 將高湯分別儲存在冷凍裡, 可保存三個禮拜以上. 豬骨也可以用冷水煮沸後, 洗淨再熬湯, 這樣就可以減少撈去浮物的麻煩!

骨頭邊的肉像阿媽一樣沾點好醬油吃, 簡單的吮指回味樂無窮 ....

酸辣湯的做法:

將豬肉絲用醬油, 清酒, 以及少許的白胡椒醃製, 並加入約2大匙的水. 然後按摩使肉絲吸收所有的液體. 最後加入兩大湯匙的太白粉入豬肉裡, 攪拌均勻. 靜置15分鐘或是入冷藏更久的時間.

鍋用大火加熱, 入冷油以及蔥白和香菇, 炒至香味出來. 加入豬高湯, 香菇汁, 黑木耳. 用醬油調成棕色, 加入白胡椒粉和塩巴糖調味. 再放入紅辣椒. 煮沸後再放入荀絲, 紅蘿蔔, 煮滾後勾芡成濃稠度. *勾芡時芡水用一隻手提高徐徐加入, 另一隻手不斷的攪拌湯汁, 才不會結成大塊. 改小火, 然後放入筍絲和紅蘿蔔絲, 並且分㪚肉絲加入湯中. 此時的勾芡後的肉焿溫度很高, 所以肉很快就熟了而且軟嫩. 不用擔心煮澀了. 然後再用勾芡的方法加入蛋花. 熄火後用白醋調的酸味, 黑醋講究的是香氣. 此時再放入豆腐就不會因為過度攪拌而碎裂.

*如果沒有達到你要的濃稠度, 可以再加入更多的太白粉或蕃薯粉水.

* 慢慢的加入太白粉水很重要, 湯頭開始變濃時需要幾秒鐘的時間, 別急! 若因為芡水的原因失去了醬色和味道可用少許醬油和塩補足味道.

* 肉羹溫度相當高, 請小心別燙傷了!

上桌使用前, 撒上蔥花.

和香菜, 可再依各人喜好再添加黑醋和白胡椒粉! 葉家喜歡加入平面版的白麵條就是一餐了. 這湯濃, 各種食材的口感不一, 味道酸辣香甜. 是非常開味的一道湯品. 你會一碗接著下一碗而無法自止的. 這更是再簡單不過的一道菜的作法了, 只要你有一點耐心切完所有的材料. 別忘了! 更是水餃的好搭檔喔! 你凖備好來做這碗湯了嗎?