Spicy Szechuan Soup

Serves 6


Ingredients:

200g firm bean curd
60g pork or calf's liver, very thinly sliced
100g lean pork or chicken meat, very thinly sliced
4 dried Chinese black mushrooms, soaked
1 spring onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tbsp finely shredded ginger
1 small carrot, finely shredded
2 sticks celery, thinly sliced
1-2 hot red chillies, seeded and finely shredded
2 tbsp vegetable oil
60g sliced bamboo shoots
5 cup water
2 tsp chicken stock powder
2 tbsp dark soy sauce
1 tbsp Chinese black vinegar
2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander
½ tsp cracked black pepper
3 eggs, lightly beaten


Method:

1. Cut the bean curd into thin slices, then into narrow shreds. Cut the liver and meat slices into similar shreds.
2. Remove mushroom stems and shred the caps finely. Cook the mushrooms, spring onion, garlic, ginger, carrot, celery and chilli in the oil for 2 minutes. Add the pork or chicken and the bamboo shoots and cook briefly.
3. Add the water, chicken stock powder and soy sauce and bring to the boil. Simmer for 4 minutes.
4. Add the bean curd and liver, and the vinegar, coriander and pepper and heat through briefly. Then slowly pour in the beaten egg, stirring until the egg forms thin strands.
   Serve the soup hot.

Note: The Szechuan style of cooking is renowned for its use of fiery flavourings, mostly red chillies. This soup should have a sharp, tart taste - in fact the five flavours of traditional Szechuan foods - sweet, sour, salty, pungent and bitter - all appear in this nourishing soup. If you prefer a less sharp taste, you can reduce the amount of chilli and pepper.