Chinese Hot and Sour Soup

Hot and sour soup is reputed to be good for colds. To increase the health benefits, feel free to add 2 or 3 teaspoons of finely chopped ginger. The "hot" part comes from white pepper, or in some cases, chili pepper, and the "sour" part comes from Chinese black vinegar. For a vegetarian version of Hot and Sour Soup, leave out the pork.
 
Serves about 4pax (Using a 2-quart pot)

Ingredients:
- 1 cake tofu (fresh, if possible)
- 2 ounces pork tenderloin / chicken / shrimp
Marinade:
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon tapioca starch (or cornstarch)
Other:
- 1/2 cup bamboo shoots
- 2 tablespoons black fungus (Wood Ear) or Cloud Ear fungus (or 3 - 4 Chinese dried black mushrooms or fresh mushrooms)
- 1 small handful dried lily buds
- 1 Tbsp cornstarch dissolved in 1/4 cup water
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 green onion, finely chopped
- 6 cups water (or 6 cups water and 1 cup Campbell's chicken broth)*
To Taste:
- 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons red rice vinegar, white rice vinegar, or red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- White pepper to taste (no more than 1 tablespoon)
- Hot chili oil, to taste, optional

Preparation:
1) Shred pork. Mix marinade ingredients and marinate pork for 20 minutes.

2) Cut tofu into small squares. Cut bamboo shoots into thin strips and then into fine slices.

3) Reconstitute the fungus / mushrooms, soak in warm water for 20 minutes. Rinse, and cut into thin pieces.

4) Reconstitute the dried lily buds, soak in hot water for 20 minutes or until softened. Cut off the hard ends and shred.

5) Fill your pot about halfway with water and set it to boil. Peel shrimp and toss the shells into the water to flavor the broth. If you're using chicken or pork, slice them first, and saute the meat in a small drizzle of sesame oil in the pot until almost cooked and then add water. You can omit meat entirely if you're vegetarian as the vinegar and soy sauce will give the soup plenty of flavoring.

6) When the water has boiled, scoop out the shrimp shells and add in tofu, tree ear fungus, bamboo shoots, shrimp, lily buds, and mushrooms. Add more water to the pot if the ingredients make the soup too dense.

7) Beat the eggs in a bowl and slowly pour eggs into the pot, stirring all the while to create rivulets of "egg drops." Do this before adding in the vinegar or the egg won't form rivulets and will just turn the broth murky.

8) Turn heat down to medium-low to let the soup simmer. Dissolve 1 tblsp of cornstarch to a bit of cold water and add that to the pot to thicken the soup.

9) Add just a drizzle of sesame oil. Then start adding in various amounts of soy sauce, vinegar, and pepper to your taste. Chinese black vinegar is milder than other varieties but doesn't have a harsh aftertaste. Allow the soup to simmer for about 10 minutes so the flavors can meld before you taste it again and decide to add in more seasoning. Test the broth and adjust the taste if desired. (If using chicken broth, you may want to add a bit more rice vinegar). As for the white pepper, you want to just be able to taste it, but don't actually want it to be spicy

10) Add the green onion and the white pepper to taste. Drizzle with chili oil if desired. Serve hot.

(Hot and Sour Soup can be prepared ahead of time and frozen. When making the soup, leave out the tofu. When ready to serve, thaw, add the tofu and bring to boiling. When the soup is boiling, add the egg.)
*Adjust the ratio of water to chicken stock as desired.