Almost Chinese Hot and Sour Soup

My family adores Asian foods - I mean we're nuts about it. We lived in Seattle for several years, and got seriously spoiled. There were fabulous Asian restaurants all over the place, and we lived right around the corner from an huge Asian Supermarket. We were close to many tremendous fresh markets, including the famous Pike Place Fresh Market. My children's step-grandmother is Korean - and she taught me classic Asian technique and ingredients. Her lessons were Bombshell. I owe her more than I can count for the cooking lessons.

Unfortunately, there is a dearth of Asian markets in East Tennessee. It's a forty five minute drive to the closest, and it's tiny. Of course I can order billions of things online, but the fresh veggies are an issue. I've had to learn how to capture the essence of some of our favorite dishes with only a handful of ingredients. This one does require the mushrooms, but frankly I've made it with simple fresh shiitakes when I come across them.

This is not quite 'real' hot and sour soup. Of course more often than not I'm disappointed with what I get when I do order the real thing in a restaurant. Insipid, too much black pepper or over salty is usually the case. Recipes I've seen for it are somewhat daunting - having approximately 742 ingredients. I wanted simple, delicious, and intensely flavored, with the yummy tang and lingering heat that characterizes this classic. This one captures the essence and spirit of great hot and sour soup, but with the ease of preparation and availability of ingredients I require.

This makes a big old pot of soup - about 12-14 servings. You can cut it in half if you want, but why?


1/2 cup dried Chinese black fungus - like mushrooms
8 dried shiitake mushrooms
2 quarts chicken broth, 1/2 cup reserved
3/4 cup diced bamboo shoots
3 boneless pork ribs, well trimmed and julienned
3 Tbsp soy sauce
3 Tbsp Chinese black vinegar
1/3 cups cornstarch
1 16 package extra firm tofu, cubed
3-4 Tbsp lime juice
3 eggs, lightly beaten
4 Tbsp sesame oil
1 Tbsp olive oil
5 minced green onions, tops included
hot sauce to taste - I like Siracha

1. Soak the dried mushrooms in very hot water for approximately 1/2 hour. Drain, discarding soaking liquid. Pull the tough stems from the shiitakes and discard, and julienne the tops.
2. Toss the julienned pork with a tablespoon of the soy sauce.
3. Heat olive oil in a small skillet over medium high heat. Quickly saute the pork until just barely cooked. Place pork in a Dutch oven. 
4. Add broth, mushrooms, bamboo shoots, remaining soy sauce, and black vinegar. Bring up to a simmer.
5. Add tofu and lime juice.
6. In a small bowl, whisk together reserved 1/2 cup of broth and cornstarch until well combined. Add to the pot, stirring gently. Bring back to a simmer, drizzle in beaten egg and remove from heat. 
7. To serve, sprinkle each bowl with a little green onion, and a drizzle of sesame oil and hot sauce.