Name: Hot and sour soup
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 2
Cuisine: Chinese
Ingredients: 200g enoki, oyster or shimeji mushrooms trimmed; 20g dried shiitake mushrooms or dried black ear fungus, rehydrated and sliced into strips; 2 carrots sliced into thin batons; 2 tbsp vegetable oil; 1 tomato peeled and diced; 1 tbsp tomato purée; 100g silken tofu sliced into strips; 3 tbsp cornflour mixed with 5 tbsp of water; 1 egg lightly beaten; 1 tsp ground white pepper; 2 tbsp zhenjiang vinegar or sherry vinegar; 1 tbsp sesame oil; coriander roughly chopped

Two bowls of mushroom, tofu and carrot hot and sour soup topped with coriander

200g enoki, oyster or shimeji mushrooms
trimmed
20g dried shiitake mushrooms
or dried black ear fungus, rehydrated and sliced into strips
2 carrots
sliced into thin batons
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tomato
peeled and diced
1 tbsp tomato purée
100g silken tofu
sliced into strips
3 tbsp cornflour
mixed with 5 tbsp of water
1 egg
lightly beaten
1 tsp ground white pepper
2 tbsp zhenjiang vinegar
or sherry vinegar
1 tbsp sesame oil
coriander
roughly chopped

Method

step 1
Bring a large pot of water to the boil over a medium-high heat, then blanche the trimmed mushrooms, rehydrated mushrooms or black ear fungus and carrots for 3 mins until softened. Remove from the heat and drain in a colander.
step 2
Heat the vegetable oil in a deep pan over a medium-high heat. Cook the tomato for 2-3 mins, stirring frequently, then mix in the tomato purée, reduce the heat to low, and cook for 1 min. Pour in 600ml of water and bring to the boil. Toss in the blanched mushrooms, black ear fungus, if using, carrots and tofu, and cook for 3 mins. Stir in the cornflour mixture and cook for another 2 mins, until slightly thickened. Reduce the heat to a gentle simmer.
step 3
Pour the beaten egg carefully around the hot liquid. Do not stir for 2 mins. Season with the ground white pepper and add the vinegar to taste. Stir in the sesame oil and sprinkle over the coriander, to serve.