Hot and Sour Soup
Accompany the soup with a shredded cabbage salad dressed with rice wine vinegar, sugar and a little oil.
Ingredients:
- 1 oz. dried Chinese black mushrooms or dried
  shiitake mushrooms - 3 cups boiling water
- 2 Tbs. plus 1 tsp. white wine vinegar
- 1 Tbs. plus 1 tsp. soy sauce
- 1/2 tsp. Asian sesame oil
- 1 1/4 tsp. Asian chili oil
- 1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper, plus more,
  to taste - 5 cups chicken stock
- 1/2 cup canned thinly sliced bamboo shoots,
  rinsed and drained - 1 boneless, skinless whole chicken breast,
  about 1/2 lb., cut crosswise into thin bite-size
  slices - 1/4 lb. firm tofu, drained and cut into 1/2-
  inch cubes - 2 Tbs. cornstarch
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 egg, well beaten
Directions:
In a small bowl, stir together the vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, chili oil and the 1/2 tsp. pepper. Set aside.
In a saucepan over medium-high heat, bring the stock to a simmer. Add the mushrooms and bamboo shoots and cook until the stock is aromatic, about 3 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium and add the chicken and tofu. Cook until the chicken is just opaque throughout and the tofu is heated through, about 2 minutes. Add the reserved vinegar-soy mixture and bring to a simmer.
In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch and water and stir until the cornstarch is dissolved. Add to the soup and stir until the soup begins to thicken. Remove from the heat. Add the egg, whisking with a fork until little shreds of cooked egg form. Taste and adjust the seasonings with vinegar, pepper or soy sauce.
Ladle the soup into warmed bowls and serve immediately.