This really has no business being called “hot and sour soup” at all. I threw it together last night when I had no meat thawed out, and usually that sort of thing turns into a meal that suffices the once but I never revisit — however, I reheated it for dinner today, added a few more ingredients and… hey, you know what, this could make my rotating meal roster. It’s not substantial enough for anything but a side, but accompanies a pork burger or a rare steak very nicely.
Not Really Hot and Sour Soup
- 1 lb beef marrow bones, marrow removed
- 1 can bamboo shoots, drained
- 1/4 cup chili oil
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- 3 Tbsp gluten-free Tamari
- 12-15 pieces black fungus
- 5-6 lily buds (also called tiger lilies)
- 2 crimini or shiitake mushrooms, sliced
- 3 eggs
- 1 tsp black pepper
- Tabasco to taste (I told you it wasn’t authentic)
- salt to taste
Bone broth is the second greatest thing known to man or woman. Bone marrow is the first. It’s a rich, delicate, fatty substance found in beef bones, but you’re looking specifically for cut-up femurs, or the same bone you’d get when you buy beef shanks. If you find something that says “beef soup bones”, that’s exactly what you’re looking for. Roast those at 375F for about 30 minutes, salt them and then eat the marrow with a spoon, or spread it on something like toast, if you eat toast.
Put the bones into a 4-liter pot and add water. Let boil for about an hour. You’ll wind up with a rich, tasty stock. Remove the bones and discard.
In a separate pot or bowl, pour some boiling water over the lily shoots and allow them to rehydrate. When cool, tear them up with your fingers and add them to the pot along with the black fungus. You may wish to cut up the black fungus first, because it’ll expand a LOT, and can sometimes be unwieldy to eat.
Add bamboo shoots, sliced mushrooms, black pepper, vinegar, Tamari and chili oil.
Crack eggs into a bowl and beat with a fork. Bring the soup to a simmer and very slowly pour in the egg, in a thin stream. You want several “strings” of egg in the soup, not one giant clump of scrambled egg.
Stir, remove from heat and ladle into bowls, adding Tabasco and salt as desired.
This reheats extremely well.
