Hot and Sour Soup

Ingredients

• 8 cups water or Chinese-style chicken or pork stock
• 1/4 cup soy sauce, or more to taste
• 1/4 cup white vinegar, or more to taste
• 2 teaspoons ground white pepper, or to taste
• 4 dried shiitake mushrooms, reconstituted and sliced
• 1 small block medium or firm tofu, cut into strips
• 1/2 cup wood ear, cut into strips
• 1/2 cup bamboo shoot strips
• 1/4 cup pork strips (see note)
• 1/4 cup cornstarch, mixed with 1/4 cup water to make a slurry
• 3 eggs, beaten
• Sesame oil
• Chopped onions, for garnish, optional
• Chopped cilantro, for garnish, optional

Instructions

1. 1
   In a large soup pot, add water or stock, soy sauce, vinegar and white pepper. Then add the mushrooms, tofu, wood ear, bamboo shoots and pork. Let mixture come to a boil.
2. 2
   When soup reaches a boil, turn down heat to medium. In consecutive slow pours, add the cornstarch slurry to the soup while stirring. The soup will start to thicken. When the soup returns to a boil, drizzle the egg on top. When the egg blossoms, give the soup a gentle stir to incorporate the egg. Taste the soup. Add more soy, vinegar and white pepper, if needed. Drizzle with sesame oil and serve with garnishes.