Chinese soup Tián suān tāng

Ingredients for 6 servings:

• 1 liter vegetable broth or chicken broth (drinking broth)*
• 3 schnitzels, chicken or pork
• 1 jar of tomato peppers, drained weight approx. 160 g
• 10 m.-large morels, dried
• 1 jar bamboo strips, drained weight approx. 175 g
• 150 ml ketchup
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 3 tbsp vinegar (fragrant vinegar) or 3 – 6 tbsp balsamic vinegar bianco or 3 tbsp fruit vinegar
• 2 tsp chili sauce, sweet and sour
• 2 tbsp cornstarch or potato starch
• 1 m.-large bell pepper(s), green
• 2 m.-sized eggs
• Sesame oil, from roasted sesame, carefully dosed

Instructions

Working time approx. 45 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 30 minutes; Total time approx. 1 hour 15 minutes

often tested positively at parties

Place the schnitzels in the freezer to freeze. They should not be completely frozen, but only slightly frosted. This makes it easier to cut the meat into strips later. While the meat is cooling, soak the morels in lukewarm water for about 30 minutes, and drain the bamboo shoots and tomato peppers. Place the ketchup in a bowl. Mix in the fragrant vinegar, sugar, chili sauce, and cornstarch and stir well until no lumps remain. Cut the frozen schnitzels into thin strips and add to the hot drinking broth. Cook over medium heat. Wash, deseed, and slice the green peppers. Slice the morels into thin strips, removing the tough stems, and then add to the broth. Add the bamboo shoots and tomato peppers to the gently simmering broth. After 15-20 minutes, add the prepared ingredients in the bowl to the gently simmering broth, bring to a boil, and then cook over low heat, stirring constantly. Crack the egg in a ladle and slowly lower it into the soup. Wait a moment, pierce the yolk, and then let it slide completely into the soup, slowly pulling it through the soup with a fork to form threads. Care should be taken to avoid any large lumps of egg. 10 minutes before the end of the cooking time, add the green bell pepper to the soup. Finally, stir in a few drops of toasted sesame oil. Season frequently. Sesame oil radically changes the flavor, even in small amounts (depending on the freshness of the oil). Tips: The amount of chili sauce and sesame oil can be varied according to taste. If you use balsamic bianco, you usually need a slightly larger amount than with aromatic vinegar, as balsamic vinegar has a milder flavor (acidity) but is more fruity. I personally like to use balsamic bianco. * Drinking broth = mix hot water with granulated broth. Use enough broth to use as a drinking broth/hot cup. ** Sesame oil made from roasted sesame seeds (usually a small bottle). Sesame oil made from unroasted sesame seeds is useless. Not using it isn’t an option. Then an important flavor component is missing. When someone announced that Chinese soup was being made, the house was always full of guests!