Hot & Sour Soup

Kavitha & Hunter's Hot & Sour Soup - one of the best of its kind.

Serves: 4

Ingredients

2 T cornstarch
4 T water
2 T soy sauce
3 T rice wine vinegar
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 red chili or 1/4 tsp crushed red chili
1 egg
2 T vegetable oil
1 onion, diced
3 3/4 cups vegetable stock
1 open-can mushroom, sliced
2 oz extra-firm tofu, diced 1/2"
1 tsp toasted sesame oil

Directions:

1. Blend cornstarch with water to form a smooth paste. Add the soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, pepper and chili, mix well. 
2. Break the egg into a separate bowl and beat well.
3. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat (or wok) and stir fry the onion for 1-2 minutes.
4. Stir in the vegetable stock, mushroom, and tofu and simmer for 10 minutes.
5. Pour cornstarch mixture into the soup and cook the soup, stirring constantly, until it has thickened. 
6. As you are stirring, stir in the beaten egg very slowly into the soup, to create threads of egg. 
7. Garnish with the toasted sesame oil and serve immediately.