On Wed, 20 Jan 2010 08:50:08 -0500, George >
wrote:
>On 1/19/2010 19:51, dsi1 wrote:
>> On 1/19/2010 2:19 PM, Janet Wilder wrote:
>>> dsi1 wrote:
>>>> On 1/19/2010 6:16 AM, James Silverton wrote:
>>>>> Hello All!
>>>>>
>>>>> I note a recipe for Hot and Sour Soup by Jean B in r.f.recipes. It
>>>>> looks
>>>>> authentic using white pepper for heat. I wonder if any others are as
>>>>> horrible as me and prefer a hotter version using Sriracha sauce?
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>> The whole point of hot and sour soup is it's total reliance on
>>>> black/white pepper and vinegar as it's main flavor components - that's
>>>> rather unique. I don't add any Srichacha myself. OTOH, I can see how
>>>> the taste of the soup might get kind of boring after a while.
>>>
>>> Hooray!!! Someone who understands the subtlety of hot and sour soup.
>>> It's really more about the textures than the "hot" and "sour". An
>>> authentic recipe will include all kinds of wonderful things like tiger
>>> lily stems, tree ear mushrooms, shredded bamboo shoots and pieces of
>>> firm bean curd.
>>
>> I remember frequenting a restaurant across the street from the place I
>> used to work and ordering a bowl of that soup and a plate of rice with
>> spicy beef. That was the special of the day although the "special" never
>> seemed to change. As I recall, it cost $2.50.
>>
>> This must have been 25 or so years ago and I think that must have been a
>> high point in my life as far as lunch goes. :-) Mostly, I'd eat alone
>> and a couple of times I was joined by my wife. Either way, I enjoyed the
>> experience greatly and felt like I was a king. It may be that given any
>> dish, sooner or later, you'll reach the point where you no longer have
>> the desire to eat another spoonful. In my case, with hot and sour soup,
>> I haven't reached that point yet!
>>
>>>
>>> Traditional Chinese cuisine is excellent by itself. I, personally, see
>>> no reason to turn it into TexMex.
>>>
>>> YMMV
>>>
>>
>Best hot & sour soup I know is in NYC Chinatown I . There is a little
>hole in the wall dumpling place (that also makes probably the best pork
>& chives dumplings you will ever have) that charges a whopping $1.25 for
>a pint container.
There are excellent versions of hot and sour soup served in Toronto's
Chinatown too.
Every Chinese cook prepares hot and sour soup differently but all that
I've had in NYC or any Chinatown does not rely on black and white
pepper for heat (that would be mighty wussy soup), all include some
form of hot chili, some add hot chili oil but the better ones also add
a couple three of those tiny fiery hot peppers (tien tsin or piquin),
be careful not to bite into one... that's one TIA you don't want to
experience.
This recipe comes close to traditional but naturally can be altered to
suit in a gazillion ways:
http://homecooking.about.com/od/soups/r/blss154.htm
Btw, the typical Chinese take out, especially those located outside of
large cosmopolitan cities, do not prepare Chinese restaurant food, not
even close. There's a Chinese take out in my little hillybilly town,
folks hereabouts think it's the cat's meow. I tried their food once
when I first arrived here, I gave them one more try a year later,
blech... wtf is "boneless spareribs"... must be how they get that
cat's meow. I've eaten at a couple of nearby buffet joints that call
themselves Chinese, NOT... I've had much better at hospital cafeterias
and that was Chung King out of #10 cans.