The Summers

Here is the recipe I (Kevin) use to make the Hot and Sour soup the family loves so much. It is very easy compared to some others. Ingredients are simple and easy to combine. The garlic chili sauce is the one in a squirt bottle with the rooster and Asian writing on it, Huy Fong Hot Chili Garlic Sauce. Please pay attention to my note on the quantity. I typicallly double this recipe and don't have any trouble.

EASY HOT AND SOUR SOUP

4 cups chicken stock or broth (or 4 cups water and 4 chicken bouillon cubes)

3 tablespoons soy sauce

1/4 cup cooked shredded chicken or pork

1/2 cup mushrooms, diced

1/2 tablespoon garlic chili sauce (Trust me, this is plenty. IF you want to kick it up a little at the end, just add another 1/2 teaspoon.)

1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper

1/4 cup white vinegar

1/3 cup canned bamboo shoots, julienned

3 oz block of tofu, cut into 1/4 inch dice

2 tablespoons cornstarch and 2 tablespoons cold water

1 egg, beaten

2 green onion stalks, diced (including tops)

1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

1. Bring chicken broth to a simmer in a 2-quart saucepan.
2. Add soy sauce, shredded meat, mushrooms and garlic red chili paste.
3. Simmer for five minutes.
4. Add white pepper, white vinegar, bamboo shoots, tofu.
5. Simmer for five minutes.
6. Combine two tablespoons of cornstarch with two tablespoons of cold water in a cup. Stir until mixture is smooth. Add cornstarch mixture to soup and stir well.
7. Simmer for five minutes until soup is thickened.
8. Beat egg in a cup until yolk and white are combined. Pour beaten egg slowly, in a fine stream into soup. Stir soup several times.
9. Wait 30 seconds.
10. Add green onions and sesame oil to soup. Stir well. Remove from heat.
11. Serve hot.
Submitted by: Rusty Barton at http://www.cooks.com/