Ambitious Deliciousness – Dont Eat Lazy.

This is an update to my older hot and sour soup post. To be honest, I have no idea why I posted a recipe that was missing such an important ingredient. It’s like posting a banana bread recipe without bananas. Like eating a chocolate chip cookie without the chocolate chips. Like going to a Korean restaurant with no kimchi. And I could go on…

Have you cooked with lilybuds before? They resemble fern bracket, which is often used in Korean soups (yook geh jang) and in bibimbap – yet are completely different in flavor. The lilybuds are darker and have a unique flavor. Once you try this soup, you’ll recognize the familiar flavor that is prominent in hot and sour soup. Another important ingredient: Chekiang vinegar, which gives the soup the complex flavor!

This broth is more flavorful, and not translucent – just the way it’s supposed to be. =) Enjoy!

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Editor’s Note: An important, updated version of this recipe can be found here.

Before we bid farewell to winter, I wanted to share this simple hot and sour recipe. This is one of my favorite soups to eat whenever I eat Chinese food, which I realize, is not very often. But now that I know how to make it, I can enjoy it anytime I want!

All of the soups I’ve had at restaurants use cornstarch as a thickener. While I don’t mind it, I didn’t want a big pot of gloppy soup so I omitted corn starch. It’s up to you!

I would recommend cooking pork on the frying pan, then deglazing the pan for extra flavor. Sorry to say that I actually ended up omitting a few ingredients that I didn’t have on hand (bamboo shoots, pork, white pepper).

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