Panda Express Copycat Hot and Sour Soup

Wheres_the_Beef?'s Note:

This is a clear broth soup flavored with vinegar, white pepper, chili garlic sauce and sesame oil. It contains button mushrooms, sliced tofu and diced green onions. Make sure to use white ground pepper and the sesame oil. Black pepper doesn't give the same taste. Those are the "secret ingredients" that give the soup the unique taste.

• Total Time: 30 mins
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 15 mins

Ingredients:

Serves: 6

Yield: 8.0 cups

• 6 cups chicken broth (or vegetable broth )
• 6 tablespoons soy sauce
• 3/4 cup button mushroom, sliced (fresh or canned)
• 2 teaspoons chili-garlic sauce
• 1/3 teaspoon white pepper, ground
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 3 tablespoons cold water
• 1 egg, beaten
• 6 ounces tofu, firm, diced
• 2 green onions, diced (including green tops)
• 1/3 cup distilled white vinegar
• 3/4 teaspoon sesame oil

Directions:

1. Bring chicken broth to a simmer in a 3-quart saucepan.
2. Add soy sauce, sliced button mushrooms, Chili Garlic Sauce and white pepper. Simmer for 5 minutes.
3. Combine 3 Tbsp of cornstarch with 3 Tbsp of cold water in a cup. Stir until mixture is smooth. Add cornstarch mixture to hot soup and stir well. Simmer for 3 or 4 minutes until soup is thickened.
4. Beat egg in a cup until yolk and white are combined. Pour beaten egg slowly, in a fine stream, into soup. Stir soup slowly several times. Stop stirring and wait 30 seconds for egg to cook.
5. Add tofu strips and green onions to soup. Stir well. Remove from heat.
6. Add distilled white vinegar and sesame oil. Stir a few times and serve hot.