Chinese Hot-and-Sour Soup with Duck

Name: Chinese Hot-and-Sour Soup with Duck
Yield: Makes 8 first-course servings
Cuisine: Chinese
Ingredients: 1 egg, beaten (optional); 1 or 2 small cakes (about 8 ounces total) soft tofu, cut into ½-inch cubes (optional); 1 medium onion, peeled and quartered; 1 teaspoon dark sesame oil, preferably a Japanese brand; 1 bouquet garni (5 sprigs fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried, 1 imported bay leaf, and the stems from 1 bunch parsley, tied together with kitchen twine or wrapped in cheesecloth); ½ cup dried tree ears, soaked for 30 minutes in boiling water, drained, and rinsed (optional); 2 quarts chicken broth or water, plus more as needed; 30 dried tiger lily stems (available in Asian groceries), soaked for 30 minutes in warm water (optional); 8 large or 16 small dried or fresh shiitake mushrooms, preferably Chinese; 1 carrot, peeled and cut into ½-inch-thick slices; ½ cup sherry vinegar, balsamic vinegar, or excellent red wine vinegar, plus more to taste; 1 tablespoon cornstarch; 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper; 1 Pekin (Long Island) duck (about 5 pounds); 5 scallions, including the greens, sliced fine; 3 tablespoons dark soy sauce, preferably a Japanese brand, plus more as needed

Preparation info

Makes
8
first-course servings

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

The Duck Cookbook

By James Peterson

Published 2003

About

I had tasted many restaurant versions of hot-and-sour soup, but it wasn’t until I tried Barbara Tropp’s recipe from The Modern Art of Chinese Cooking that I realized what I had been missing. She calls for only the best ingredients—and doesn’t use too much cornstarch. Here I’ve adapted her recipe for duck, making a broth

Ingredients

Asia
China
Starter
Soup
Spicy

Ingredients

Method