Xiao Wan's Hot & Sour Soup

Today, I made Hot and Sour Soup with shrimp. This is great as an accompaniment or stand-alone meal. Leave the shrimp out if you are vegetarian.

Ingredients:

• 8-9 cups of water (or chicken broth)
• 3-4 fresh Chinese Black Mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 12-15 fresh peeled shrimps, halved (optional)
  
• 1 fresh bamboo shoot, remove outer layers, thinly julienned
• 4 small Thai Chili Peppers, finely chopped
• 1 red Cubanelle Pepper, finely chopped
• 1/2 of a medium size carrot, thinly julienned
• 1/2 cup + 3 tsp of sweet potato or potato starch, mix with 1/2 cup of water*
• 3/4 cup of Shao Xing cooking wine
• salt, to taste
• 1 tsp raw brown sugar
• 1 tsp minced ginger
• 2-3 cloves minced garlic
• 3 fresh scallions, finely chopped
• 1 tsp ground white and black pepper, season to taste
• 1/2 cup rice wine vinegar (add more/less to your personal taste)
• 1/3 cup black vinegar (ditto)
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 4 tsp sesame oil
• 1/4 lb of fresh firm tofu, cut into thin strips
  
• 3/4 cup soy sauce

* Xiao Wan strongly recommends sweet potato/potato starch over corn starch. They are easy to find in any Asian/Chinese market.


Directions:

Heat a medium sized pot over high heat. Add 3 tsp of sesame oil to the pot and quickly stir in Thai Chili Peppers, red Cubanelle Pepper, ginger, garlic and half of the scallions for about 1 minute then add water. Cover and bring to a light boil.

Add bamboo shoots, Chinese Black Mushrooms, carrots, and tofu. Mix well, cover and bring to a boil. Once the soup is boiling, reduce heat to simmer for about 15 minutes longer, or until the mixture is cooked (you can tell it's done if the bitter taste of the bamboo is removed.)

Add soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, Shao Xing cooking wine, salt, ground black and white pepper. Cook for about 1 minute longer or until it comes to a boil again. Add the shrimp, stir well, and add sweet potato starch mixture and stir until soup thickens and shrimp is pink.

Gently drizzle the beaten eggs in a thin stream and stir slowly. Mix in the remaining scallions and drizzle in about 1 tsp sesame oil. The soup is ready for about 6+ servings. Garnish with finely chopped scallions or cilantro. You can add more dark vinegar if you prefer a more intense flavor.

Enjoy!