Hot and Sour Soup

I love Hot and Sour soup! Seriously! I can't get enough of it. I always order it when it's on the menu, and most of the time I'm hugely disappointed. Too vinegary, too spicy, too bland, too thick, too thin. There are a lot of things that can go wrong with restaurant Hot and Sour soup. That is why I am so happy I've found a recipe that works so well that I can just make it at home whenever I want it.
I've already made it twice in one week! The first time I followed Kevin's recipe from Closet Cooking to the 'T'. But I found it to be a bit too peppery and a bit to spicy for my liking; I like to taste the soup, not have my mouth burn off! So I adapted the recipe bit to make it more to our liking. And wow, what a difference! I can't believe how much of a difference there was between the two versions! Changing a few small things can make this soup taste very different (I added different mushrooms in the second attempt, and wow, it was awesome). And considering how much I love this soup, this is a good thing. So I can change the taste a little every time I make it! I can't really describe this soup in other way other then that I dream about eating this soup all day long. In fact, Martin is away for work in BC this week and I'm kind of happy that I can eat this soup all week long and not have to worry about him getting sick of it! Yes, I'm making it again! And again! :) Anyway, on to the soup!

Hot and Sour Soup
Serves 4, Adapted from Closet Cooking
(Printable Recipe)

Ingredients:
1/2 cup wood ear mushrooms, Sliced (I used a mix of Porchini, Chanterelle, Shiitake, Portabella and Oyster)
1/2 cup dried black mushrooms (Black Fungus), Sliced
8 dried lily buds/flowers, sliced
1/2 cup bamboo shoots
3 tbsp rice vinegar
2 tbsp Chinese black vinegar (I used Mature Vinegar...not sure if it's the same)
4 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
2 tbsp cornstarch
2 tbsp water
1 tbsp oil
4 cups chicken stock
1/2 pound soft tofu, cut into small pieces (half a small package is about right)
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 tsp black pepper, ground
1/2 tsp white pepper, ground
1 tsp sesame oil
2 tsp chili oil, to taste
1/2 tbsp chili sauce, to taste


Directions:
1. Soak the wood ear mushrooms, black mushrooms, and lilly buds/flowers in boiling water until softened, about 20 minutes.
3. Cover the bamboo shoots in water, bring to a boil, drain and shred.
4. Mix the vinegars, soy sauce, salt and sugar in a bowl.
5. Mix the cornstarch into the water in a bowl.
6. Heat the oil in a large pot.
7. Add the wood ear and black mushrooms, lily buds/flowers and bamboo shoots and saute for a minute.
8. Add the broth and tofu and bring to a boil.
9. Add the vinegar mixture and the cornstarch mixture and stir until it thickens.
10. Pour the eggs into the soup in a thin stream while stirring the soup.

11. Stir in the peppers, oils and chili sauce.

I'll be sharing this with Souper Sundays at Kahakai Kitchen. I'm sure there will be lot's of yummy soups, salads, and sammies to see over there on Sunday :)