Recipe(tried): Easy Chinese Hot and Sour Soup

Here's a Hot and Sour Soup recipe that we like a lot. We use to eat out a lot just for this soup. Making it at home saves a lot of money. It tastes very close to what you get at a Chinese restaurant. All of these ingredients should be available at most U.S. supermarkets, some in the Asian foods section. The white pepper and sesame oil are the "secret" ingredients that seem to give the authentic taste.

EASY CHINESE HOT AND SOUR SOUP

4 cups of chicken broth
4 tablespoons soy sauce
1/4 cup cooked shredded chicken or pork (canned chicken ok)
1/2 cup drained canned mushrooms (type of your choice), sliced or diced
1/4 cup canned bamboo shoots, drained and julienned
1/2 tablespoon Thai Chili Garlic Sauce (Tabasco Sauce and a little garlic powder as a substitute is ok)
1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
2 tablespoons cornstarch and 2 tablespoons cold water
1 egg, beaten
3 oz firm tofu, cut into 1/4 inch dice
2 green onion stalks, diced (including green tops)
1/4 cup distilled white vinegar
1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

Bring chicken broth to a simmer in a 2-quart saucepan. Add soy sauce, meat, mushrooms, bamboo shoots, Thai Chili Garlic Sauce and white pepper. Simmer for five minutes.

Combine two tablespoons of cornstarch with two tablespoons of cold water in a cup. Stir until mixture is smooth. Add cornstarch mixture to soup and stir well. Simmer for 2 or 3 minutes until soup is thickened.

Beat egg in a cup until yolk and white are combined. Pour beaten egg slowly, in a fine stream into soup. Stir soup several times. Wait 30 seconds.

Add tofu and green onions to soup. Stir well. Remove from heat. Add distilled white vinegar and sesame oil. Stir a few times and serve.

Makes about 4 cups.