Suanla Tang — Hot & Sour Soup with Firm Tofu

Ingredients

• 8 oz Firm Tofu, cut into thin matchsticks
• 4 cups chicken or mushroom stock
• 1½ cups Shiitake Mushrooms, thinly sliced
• ½ cup bamboo shoots, julienned
• 3 tbsp Chinkiang black vinegar
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1½ tsp ground white pepper
• 2 tbsp cornstarch mixed with 3 tbsp cold water
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2 scallions, sliced thin
• 1 tsp toasted sesame oil

Method

1. Bring the stock to a simmer with the Shiitake Mushrooms and bamboo shoots. Let them soften and give up their flavor, about 5 minutes.
2. Slide in the Firm Tofu with the soy sauce and white pepper. Simmer 3 minutes — white pepper is the heat here, so be generous and taste as you go.
3. Stir the cornstarch slurry again and pour it in while stirring. The soup thickens to a glossy, spoon-coating body in about a minute.
4. Turn the heat to low, then drizzle the beaten egg in a thin stream while stirring in one direction. Ribbons form instantly; stop stirring the moment they set.
5. Off the heat, stir in the black vinegar and sesame oil. Adding vinegar early boils away the whole point of the soup. Top with scallions and serve hot.