Hot and Sour Soup

Background

This recipe comes from my mom's old house mother, Mrs. Li.

Recipe

1 LARGE can chicken broth
1/2 cup black mushrooms, sliced thin
1/2 cup bamboo shoots, julienned
1/2 cup water chestnuts, julienned
1/2 cup tiger lily buds, cut in half (cut off the woody stem end)
1/2 cup inoki mushrooms
8 oz firm tofu, sliced in strips
2 eggs (one yolk removed), well beaten
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp cornstarch mixed with 2 tbsp water
red wine vinegar (to taste)
black or white pepper (to taste)

Bring broth to a boil. Add black mushrooms, tiger lily buds and soy sauce. Let return to a boil. Reduce to simmer for 10 minutes. Add bamboo shoots, water chestnuts, inoki mushrooms, and tofu. Let return to a boil. While stirring soup, slowly pour in beaten eggs. Then add cornstarch mixture to thicken soup. Serve with vinegar and pepper.

Notes

You can also add thin strips of pork to the soup, but I prefer it without the pork. Most of the ingredients are available in western grocery stores, but you can definitely find them in an asian grocery store.