Chinese Hot and Sour Soup

One of my favorites!  If you like it spicy; add more chili oil and if you like it sour; add more rice vinegar. 

Chinese Hot and Sour Soup:

1/4 C Dried Mushrooms
1/2 C Hot Water
4 Ozs Wood Ear Mushrooms, cut in strips
12 Ozs Shitake Mushrooms (or combination of mushrooms), cut caps in strips
4 Oz Firm Tofu, diced in 1/8 cubes
1/2 C Bamboo Shoots, sliced in thin strips
3 Q Vegetable Stock
1 t Grated Ginger
1 T Sugar
1/3 C Rice Vinegar
2 T Soy Sauce
1/2 t Chili Oil
2 T Cornstarch
2 T Water
2 Egg Whites
1 t Sesame Oil
Salt to taste
2 T Scallions, thinly sliced

Directions:
1.  Soak the dried mushrooms in the hot water for 30 minutes.  Drain  and save the soaking liquid.  Slice into small bits.
2.  In soup pot, add stock, mushrooms, dried mushrooms, soaking liquid, tofu, bamboo shoots, ginger and wood ears.  Bring to a boil; turn down heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
3.  Add sugar, rice vinegar, soy sauce and chili oil. 
4.  Mix cornstarch with water and add mixture to soup; until thickens. 
5.  Beat egg whites and pour slowly in a stream into the soup; stirring constantly.   Cook the egg; it will turn white.  Turn heat off.
6.  Add sesame oil and salt to taste.
7.  Garnish each bowl with fresh scallions.

Serves 8-10

Fun Fact:  Mushrooms take in oxygen for digestion and give off carbon dioxide.  They are low in calories, fat and sodium. 

We grew our own mushrooms this year; Nameko mushrooms (see photo).  I added some into this soup but feel free to add any additional mushrooms that you love.