Hot and Sour Soup

Adapted from The New Moosewood Cookbook

Hearty, flavorful mushrooms are the star of this terrific weeknight soup. I only wished I’d had fortune cookies on hand to round out the meal.

1 oz. dried mixed mushrooms
8 cups water
3 tablespoons sherry cooking wine
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1-1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 pound extra firm tofu, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 eggs, lightly beaten
6 scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
Pure sesame oil, for serving

Place the dried mushrooms in a bowl and cover with 2 cups of boiling water. Cover and allow to sit for at least 1/2 hour. While mushrooms reconstitute, prepare the other ingredients.
Remove the mushrooms from the hot water and reserve the liquid for the soup. Slice the mushrooms thinly.
In a soup pot, combine the remaining 6 cups of water with the reserved liquid from the mushrooms and the sliced mushrooms. Bring to a gentle boil over medium-high heat. Add the sherry, vinegar, soy sauce, salt and tofu. Reduce the heat and allow to simmer uncovered for about 10 minutes.
In a small bowl, whisk the cornstarch with about 3/4 cup of hot broth from the soup pot until cornstarch is dissolved. Pour the mixture back into the soup pot, stirring to distribute. The soup should thicken slightly. While stirring constantly, drizzle the beaten eggs into the hot soup. Add the scallions and white pepper and cook for another minute or two.
Serve hot with a drizzle of sesame oil on top.
Quick Tips
1. I found a variety of mushrooms that included porcini, lobster, morels and black trumpets. It was called “northwest mix” and sold in 1/2 oz. packages.
2. The elements that make this soup hot (white pepper) and sour (vinegar) are listed above in amounts that are neither too hot or sour, with a child’s sensitive palate in mind. If you want to create a soup that is more traditionally hot and sour, add another 1/4 cup vinegar and 1/2 teaspoon white pepper to the pot. When I served this dish, I put extra vinegar and white pepper on the table so that individuals could add more as needed.

Preparation time: 30 minute(s)

Cooking time: 15 minute(s)

Number of servings (yield): 4

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