Hot & Sour Soup

Tap an ingredient or step to check it off.

1. 1Step 1: Soak the beef shank for one hour in cool water. This draws out a bit of the myoglobin and helps make a cleaner tasting broth.
2. 2Step 2: Add the beef, the seasoning for the broth, and enough water to cover the beef to a pot. Cover, get up to a boil.
3. 3Step 3: Turn the heat to the lowest heat your stove’ll go, and simmer covered for 2 hours. Or until the broth is flavorful and the beef shank is tender enough to poke through with a pair of chopsticks.
4. 4Step 4: Soak the sweet potato noodles, the dried day lily, the shiitake mushroom, and the mu’er in cool water for ~2 hours. Or until the broth’s done cooking. Feel free to slice the sweet potato noodles smaller if need be, we’ll further chop them down later. Optionally save the soaking liquid from the dried shiitake mushrooms for your slurry – give it a quick strain if that’s the case.
5. 5Step 5: Strain the stock, shred the beef. Shred by chopping the beef into pieces, then shred with the flat of the knife. Or alternatively, just use the western fork shredding method… just don’t go too crazy, we’re not trying to make meat floss or anything.
6. 6Step 6: Slice the silken tofu into ~0.5cm strips, then keep the strips in cool water to prevent breaking. Slice by first slicing the tofu into ~half centimeter sheets, then in the other directions to get half centimeter slivers. Toss them in a bowl with cool water to prevent them from breaking up.
7. 7Step 7: Prep the qianzhang soy tofu sheets, the shiitake mushroom, the sweet potato noodles, the dried day lilies, the cilantro, the fried gluten balls, and the mu’er. Prep the soy tofu sheets by folding twice hot dog style and once in the other direction, then slice down into it to get ~half cm slivers. Prep the shiitake mushroom by squeezing out any excess liquid, removing the stem, and julienning. Chop the sweet potato noodles into ~1.5 inch pieces. Chop the day lilies into ~1 inch pieces. Give the cilantro a rough chop, tear the fried gluten balls into bite sized pieces. Prep the mu’er by giving them a few chops in each direction.
8. 8Step 8: Add the shiitake mushrooms, the mu’er wood ear mushrooms, the sweet potato noodles, the soy tofu sheet, and 1.4L of the beef broth to a pot. Flame on high (medium-high with claypot).
9. 9Step 9: Add the seasoning – the soy sauce(s), the salt, the sugar. Bring to a boil.
10. 10Step 10: Add the silken tofu strips. Let it simmer for ~30 seconds.
11. 11Step 11: Thicken with the slurry. Let it simmer for ~30 seconds, or until thickened to your liking (cornstarch slurry might need a touch longer to thicken, so be patient before thickening further).
12. 12Step 12: Mix in the white pepper powder/vinegar mixture. Make sure the white pepper is good and dissolved in the vinegar. Quick mix. Heat off.
13. 13Step 13: Transfer to serving bowls. Top with shredded beef, torn fried gluten balls, cilantro, and the ~½ tsp toasted sesame oil.