Hot and Sour Soup.

Hot and Sour Soup

• 1 ounce dried black mushrooms
• 3 tablespoons chinese rice wine or dry sherry
• 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons tamari
• 1-3/4 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 pound firm tofu in thin strips
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 beaten eggs
• 6 minced scallions
• 1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper

Rinse mushrooms toclean. Place in bowl. Heat 2 cups of water to boiling, and pour over mushrooms. Let stand 30 minutes. Drain the mushrooms, squeezing out and saving all the excess liquid.

Slice mushrooms, and discard stems.

Place 6 cups water in a large kettle. Add the liquid from the mushrooms, and the sliced mushrooms. Heat to boiling.

Add the wine or sherry, the vinegar, tamari, salt and tofu to the kettle. Lower the heat and simmer about ten minutes.

Place corn starch in a bowl. Gradually add about 3/4 cup of the soup while whisking the cornstarch. Whisk until smooth, then return it to the soup and stir.

As the soup boils, drizzle in the egg and stir. Add scallion, and pepper. After a few more minutes it will be ready to serve.

Serves: 6

Preparation time: 60 min