What is this mysterious ingredient in Hot & Sour Soup?

Question

I LOVE Hot & Sour Soup. And especially a certain vegetable that I find in it. I cannot seem to get an answer as to what it is. It is a long, thin, green strip that often has black spots on the outside. It is soooo good! I know it's not bok choy, celery, green onions, bamboo, etc... And I just cannot figure it out! Can anyone help me find out my mysterious ingredient?

Answer 1

Seagull droppings, I think

Answer 2

could it be the dried mushrooms ?
Dried Chinese mushrooms,
-1 to 1 1/2 in dia
2 Squares, 3 inches each,
-fresh
-Chinese bean curd, about
-1/2 inch thick
1/2 c Canned bamboo shoots
1/4 lb Boneless pork
1 qt Chicken stock, fresh or
-canned
1 ts Salt
1 Scallion, including the
-green top, finely chopped
1 tb Soy sauce
1/4 ts Ground white
-pepper
2 tb White vinegar
2 tb Cornstarch*
-mixed with 3 tablespoons
-cold water
1 Egg, lightly beaten
2 ts Sesame seed oil




Instructions

* if soup is not thick enough, add 2 more spoons of cornstarch (mixed into cold water) into the soup


PREPARE AHEAD:


1. In a small bowl, cover the mushrooms with 1/2 cup of warm water and let them soak for 30 minutes. Discard the water. With a cleaver or knife, cut away and discard the tough stems of the mushrooms, and shred the caps by placing one at a time on a chopping board. Cut them horizontally into paper-thin slices, and then into thin strips.


2. Drain the pieces of bamboo shoots and bean curd, and rinse them in cold water. Shred them as fine as the mushrooms.


3. With a cleaver or sharp knife, trim the pork of all fat. Then shred it, too, by slicing the meat as thin as possible and cutting the slices into narrow strips about 1-1/2 to 2 inches long.


4. Have the above ingredients, stock, salt, soy sauce, pepper, vinegar, cornstarch mixture, egg, sesame seed oil and scallions within easy reach.


5. TO COOK: Combine in a heavy 3-quart saucepan the stock, salt, soy sauce, mushrooms, bamboo shoots and pork. Bring to a boil over high heat, then immediately reduce the heat to low, cover the pan and simmer for 3 minutes. Drop in the bean curd and the pepper and the vinegar. Bring to a boil again. Give the cornstarch mixture a stir to recombine it and pour it into the soup. Stir for a few seconds until the soup thickens, then slowly pour in the beaten egg, stirring gently all the while. Remove the soup from the heat and ladle it into a tureen or serving bowl. Stir in the sesame seed oil and sprinkle the top with scallions. Serve at once.

Answer 3

Hi there, isn't it ecstatic to discover a new ingredient or taste when you encounter a dish to your liking ? To answer your question, first off, let me explain the basic ingredients to making the hot-n-sour soup.
1) Lily flowers - long strips, crunchy in texture. You can buy these in plastic bags, available at the dry food section in any Asian grocery market.
2) Black fungus - its the black long strips, crunchy things.
Also available in the dry food section. Look out for this black colored little cloud-ear looking shapes.
3) The basics - eggs, straw mushrooms (available in the can section), vinegar, soy sauce, black soy, chicken broth & cornstarch solution for thickening purposes.

I hope that helps & good luck, cheers ! :)

Answer 4

I love hot and sour soup and have wondered about this also. It does not match up with anything I find in recipes. What ever it is, it is pickled "something". Try eating a few pieces of it separately. You will tast the pickled taste.

Answer 5

It is Woodear Mushroom (aka Black Fungus in Asian markets).

http://www.purcellmountainfarms.com/Shredded%20Woodear%20Mushrooms.htm

Answer 6

it is kelp, otherwise known as seaweed. It tastes sorta like the stuff they wrap sushi in. It is pretty yummy!

Answer 7

I can probably help you with this. However, do you have a picture of the ingredient?

Answer 8

Bamboo shoots, maybe?

Answer 9

About the only other possible ingredients are "black fungus", "cloud ear fungus", and "dried lily buds".

Answer 10

It's a type of mushroom.

Answer 11

Could it be a seaweed or kelp?