Recipe: Chang's Hot and Sour Soup

CHANG'S HOT & SOUR SOUP
Yield: 10 servings

1 tb Woodear strips soaked in water about 4 hours
1/2 c sliced fresh mushrooms
5 oz bean curd (about 1/3 of a 1 lb package, cut in thin one-inch slices)
1/2 c bamboo shoots
2 ts salt
2 1/2 tb sugar
4 1/2 tb soy sauce
3/4 ts white pepper
3/4 ts Chinese red hot pepper sauce
10 tb vinegar
1/2 ts sesame oil
1 tb cornstarch, blended with
4 tb water
1/2 c thin strips of fresh pork
3 beaten eggs (or 4)
10 c chicken broth
chopped green onions for garnish, if desired

Heat chicken broth to boiling. Add pork strips, bamboo shoots, Woodear (drained), bean curd, and mushrooms. Return to boiling and add salt, soy sauce, sugar, white pepper, red pepper sauce, and vinegar, stirring all along. Continue boiling for a total cooking time of 20 mins. Stir in cornstarch mixture and keep stirring until soup is thickened. Pour beaten eggs gently over the top. Turn off the heat and stir eggs gently into soup. Add sesame oil. Spoon into bowls and serve topped with chopped green onions if desired.