• Szechuan Pickled Mustard Green (Zha Chai).
  This is Mustard Green salt brined with chilli powder.
   
• Your choice of protein for the broth base.
  I used pork ribs. Chicken is also good.
   
• Bamboo shoots.
   
• Dried Wood Ear mushroom.
   
• Dried Shitake mushroom.
   
• Your choice of chilli powder.
   
• Some freshly ground black pepper.
   
• Fish sauce.
   
• Dark soy sauce.
   
• Stock powder.
  I used Chicken Stock Powder.
   
• Starch (cornflour).
  I used tapioca flour.
   
• Vinegar.
  I used 5-year matured black vinegar.
   
• Condiments.
   

• Prepare your Szechuan Pickled Mustard Green.
  These will be salty and thus, you will need to cut the vegetable into small soup-sized pieces and then soak them is several changes of fresh water until the saltiness is reduced to your liking. I accelerated things by boiling the vegetable in some water as a final step before use in the soup.
   
• Soak the two types of mushrooms in some hot water for at least an hour.
   
• Prepare your broth base.
  In my case, I blanched my pork rib pieces and discarded the blanching water.
  Then I added fresh boiling water and started simmering to get a broth.
  I used a pressure cooker and the simmering was only for 15 minutes.
   
• Cut up the bamboo shoots, and two mushrooms into soup-sized pieces.
   
• Add the cut vegetables and mushroom to the broth.
   
• Let the soup simmer for some 15 minutes and then add chilli powder to taste.
   
• Add your stock powder to taste.
   
• Continue to simmer the soup for another 15 minutes.
   
• When the soup is on the boil add a slurry of starch while stirring to render the soup to the degree viscosity which suits you.
   
• Beat an egg and then slowly drip this into the soup while stirring.
  The degree of stirring and speed of dripping will determine the size of the resultant egg ribbons (small in my case)
   
• Now taste again for saltiness, spiciness, and tastiness.
  Make adjustments as necessary.
  You can add fish sauce for extra flavour and dark soy sauce also for flavour and for a darker coloured soup.
   
• Dish out hot onto serving bowls.
   
• Let individual diners add the amount of vinegar which suits them.
  This late addition of vinegar will also serve to prolong the viscosity of the soup (since acidity will breakdown the gelatinized starch in the soup).
  Garnish with sliced Spring Onions.
  
   

ENJOY!