Hot sour soup recipe with pork, black fungus, carrot and bamboo shoot

This hot sour soup recipe contains black fungus and bamboo shoot. These 2 chinese ingredients could be slightly exotic for beginners to chinese cooking.

Black fungus 黑木耳 (hei mu er) is a common sight in chinese dishes but I have yet to come across a Western dish featuring it. Black fungus is also known as wood ear because it looks like a floppy ear growing out of wood.

Young fresh bamboo shoot is preferred but the canned version is also okay. Avoid the ones that are soaked in oil though.

A picture of fresh bamboo shoot.

Dark or balsamic vinegar has a rather earthy tone which matches the texture of the black fungus and bamboo shoot.

Before trying to make this, visit the hot and sour soups page for 5 great cooking tips.

100g pork tenderloin
20g black fungus or wood ear
30g carrot
30g bamboo shoot
2 slices ginger
1 stalk spring onion
2 eggs
2 tbsp cooking oil
Salt and pepper
1 tbsp soy sauce
6 cups soup stock
2 tbsp cornstarch mixture
1 tbsp dark vinegar or balsamic vinegar

1. Wash and soak the black fungus for about 1 hour in room temperature water until rehydrated
2. Julienne the rehydrated fungus
3. Wash the pork tenderloin and julienne
4. Peel, wash and shred the carrot and bamboo shoot
5. Blanch the carrot and bamboo in boiling water and drain
6. Wash the ginger and spring onion and chop both finely
7. Beat the eggs lightly
8. Heat the cooking oil in a wok
9. Stir fry the spring onion and ginger until slightly aromatic
10. Then add the pork shreds, black fungus, carrot and bamboo shoots
11. Fry them thoroughly
12. Add the soup stock, soy sauce, salt and pepper
13. Bring to a boil
14. Add the cornstarch mixture and stir to thicken the soup slightly
15. Remove from the heat, stream the beaten egg and stir the soup gently
16. Drizzle the black vinegar before serving

Recipe link: http://www.homemade-chinese-soups.com/hot-sour-soup-recipe.html