Hot and Sour Soup

I really enjoy a good bowl of Hot and Sour soup. The only problem is finding what I consider “good”. Sometimes the consistency is almost syrupy. And that I don’t find appealing. I enjoy this soup when it is really spicy and very tangy. So, I add a lot of chili-garlic sauce and vinegar. I’ve toned it down a bit for those with milder palates. If you prefer to make this vegetarian, you would leave out the pork, add more tofu, and substitute vegetable broth for the chicken broth. I believe it would be just as tasty.

Ingredients:

2 lbs ground pork
14 oz. extra firm tofu, cut into small chunks
1 white onion, sliced thinly lengthwise
2 quarts chicken broth
1 quart water
2 cups dried black fungus
2 – 15oz cans Straw Mushrooms (drained and rinsed)
1 can sliced bamboo shoots
**¼ cup white vinegar (I like to use the white wine vinegar, but distilled white vinegar will work too)
**¼ cup Chili-Garlic Sauce

Directions:

1. Put dried fungus into a bowl; add cold water to cover and let sit for about 30 minutes. Drain and rinse before adding to the soup.

2. Fry the pork in a large pot until browned. If there is too much residual grease, drain some of the fat. Add the onions and continue to cook for about 5 minutes.

3. Add the chicken broth and water; bring to a boil.

4. Reduce heat. Add the black fungus (after it has been drained and rinsed), straw mushrooms, and bamboo shoots; cook for 30 minutes.

5. Add the vinegar, chili sauce and tofu; continue cooking for another 15 minutes.

**Give the soup a taste and add more vinegar and chili-garlic sauce to your liking. I use a ½ cup of each. But, as I mentioned in the introduction – I really like it spicy and tangy! If you get too much vinegar and chili garlic sauce in it, you can always add extra chicken broth to tone it down.