Napa Goat Ranch's Hot and Sour Soup

That Napa Chicken Ranch's Note:

There are many versions of this soup out there, but this is a very simple soup to make that your guests will rave about. We have been serving this recipe for many years now- it is our most requested soup.

• Total Time: 30 mins
• Prep Time: 20 mins
• Cook Time: 10 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 4

• napa goat ranch Chinese hot & sour soup
• 1/4 lb pork steak (sliced 1/4-inch thick)
• 4 large dried shiitake mushrooms
• 7 ounces firm tofu (sliced into 1/4-inch thick sticks)
• 1/2 cup whole canned bamboo shoot (sliced into 1/4 matchsticks)
• 8 cups chicken broth
• 4 tablespoons white vinegar
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch (for paste)
• 2 tablespoons shoyu, sauce*
• 1 teaspoon shoyu, sauce
• 2 -3 drops sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon green onion (sliced)
• 1 egg (well beaten)
• 1/2 teaspoon white pepper
• 2 -3 drops hot chili oil

Directions:

1. In a small bowl make a shoyu paste using 2 Tbsp of cornstarch and 2 Tbsp shoyu.
2. Cut the pork strips into ¼ x 2” (approx) long strips. Place the pork strips in shoyu paste to marinate- set aside.
3. Prepare the dried shitake mushrooms by soaking them on very hot water for about 10 minutes until soft and pliable. Next cut out the tough stem portion and slice the mushrooms very thinly.
4. Bring the chicken broth and sliced mushrooms to a boil. Now add the bamboo shoots, tofu, vinegar, soy sauce, white pepper and return the pot to a boil.
5. Add the pork, sir constantly- thicken with more shoyu paste if necessary to obtain a slightly thick soup.
6. Take the soup off the heat, add in the beaten egg- stirring as you do to create egg “swirls”.
7. Add several drops of sesame oil, chili oil, and green onions to your taste!
8. *Shoyu sauce is a type of soy sauce that has a very distinctive and delightful taste. You can usually find this in larger supermarkets or asian markets. Regular soy sauce can be substituted if you can’t find any!