I had been trying to find a great Hot & Sour Soup recipe for years. I had searched cookbooks, magazines, internet sites, and even thought about bribing a waiter once (turned out he was the owner’s son, so I made the right choice in not dipping that low) to no avail. Seriously, over the years I must have tried at least 15 different recipes for this soup. None of them had the flavor I was after. Then one glorious day while I was visiting daughter Paula, she told me about her good friend Pam who also loves to cook. Paula casually mentioned that she would photocopy a couple of Pam’s recipes for me to try when I got home.  And there, amongst several other recipes that looked delicious, was an 8 ½ x 11-inch piece of paper with the recipe of my dreams in 12 point Calibri font.  Now one thing you should know before I go any further; I trust my daughter’s judgment in all things edible. Paula, like my other two daughters Eden and Ursala, is a wonderful cook. So when Paula gave this recipe such high praise, I knew I just had to give it a try. And of course I did. And because I don’t want any of you to have to go through 30 years of trial, error, and longing like I did, I am sharing this lovely recipe with you. And since I know you are going to be ever so grateful that I sent this recipe your way, I’m just going to assume I have your thanks already and say  不客气 (bú kè qi) – you’re welcome!

• 10-12 dried shitake mushrooms
• 1 block firm or extra-firm tofu
• 10 c. chicken stock
• ¼ c. dry sherry
• 8 green onions, chopped, divided
• 2 T. finely minced fresh ginger
• 4 T. sesame oil, divided plus more to drizzle on soup just before serving
• kosher salt
• 8 T. cornstarch, divided
• 1 T. chili oil
• 1 lean boneless pork chop or one boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into very small pieces
• 1 small can straw mushrooms, drained and sliced
• 1 can bamboo shoots, drained and sliced
• 2-4 T. soy sauce
• freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2-3/4 c. white wine vinegar
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten

Cover dried shitake mushrooms with hot water; set aside. Wrap tofu in paper towels. Place a plate on top and weigh down with something heavy. (This will squeeze some of the excess moisture out of the tofu.) Set aside. Pour chicken stock into a medium sized soup pot. Add sherry, about 3/4 of the chopped green onions, ginger, and 1 tablespoon of the sesame oil. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, slice the tofu into 1/4-inch slices, sprinkle lightly with kosher salt, and coat with 2 tablespoons of the cornstarch. Combine remaining 3 tablespoons sesame oil with chili oil in a large frying pan. Bring oil to medium heat, just before it begins to smoke, and fry the tofu until both sides are a nice golden brown. Remove from pan and drain on a paper towel. When cool cut into bite size pieces. Set aside. During the time the broth is simmering, mix in about 2 teaspoons of cornstarch into the pork or chicken. Set aside. After the broth has simmered for 20 minutes, drain the shitake mushrooms and add to the broth. Add the pork or chicken pieces, separating the pieces as you drop them into the soup. (The cornstarch will make the meat pieces stick together, so separating them is essential.) Add the straw mushrooms, bamboo shoots, and soy sauce. (Start with 2 tablespoons soy sauce and add more at the end if needed.) Bring broth back to boil, reduce heat and simmer for an additional 3 minutes. Add fried tofu, pepper, and vinegar. (Again start with the smaller amount of vinegar and add as needed.) Add a small amount of water to the remaining corn starch and add to the soup. Simmer for about 2 minutes or until broth is slightly thickened. Drizzle eggs in hot soup but do not stir. Just before serving, adjust seasoning. Ladle into soup bowls. Garnish with the remaining green onions and a drizzle of sesame oil. Serve immediately.