HOT 'N SOUR SOUP

      Title: HOT 'N SOUR SOUP
  Categories: Soups, Ethnic
       Yield: 4 Servings
  
       4    Dried Chinese mushrooms,
            -1 to 1 1/2 in dia
       2    Squares, 3 inches each,
            -fresh
            -Chinese bean curd, about
            -1/2 inch thick
     1/2 c  Canned bamboo shoots
     1/4 lb Boneless pork
       1 qt Chicken stock, fresh or
            -canned
       1 ts Salt
       1    Scallion, including the
            -green top, finely chopped
       1 tb Soy sauce
     1/4 ts Ground white
            -pepper
       2 tb White vinegar
       2 tb Cornstarch*
            -mixed with 3 tablespoons
            -cold water
       1    Egg, lightly beaten
       2 ts Sesame seed oil
  
   * if soup is not thick enough, add 2 more spoons of cornstarch (mixed
   into cold water) into the soup PREPARE AHEAD: 1. In a small bowl,
   cover the mushrooms with 1/2 cup of warm water and let them soak for
   30 minutes. Discard the water.  With a cleaver or knife, cut away and
   discard the tough stems of the mushrooms, and shred the caps by
   placing one at a time on a chopping board. Cut them horizontally into
   paper-thin slices, and then into thin strips. 2.  Drain the pieces of
   bamboo shoots and bean curd, and rinse them in cold water. Shred them
   as fine as the mushrooms. 3. With a cleaver or sharp knife, trim the
   pork of all fat. Then shred it, too, by slicing the meat as thin as
   possible and cutting the slices into narrow strips about 1-1/2 to 2
   inches long. 4.  Have the above ingredients, stock, salt, soy sauce,
   pepper, vinegar, cornstarch mixture, egg, sesame seed oil and
   scallions within easy reach. TO COOK: Combine in a heavy 3-quart
   saucepan the stock, salt, soy sauce, mushrooms, bamboo shoots and
   pork. Bring to a boil over high heat, then immediately reduce the
   heat to low, cover the pan and simmer for 3 minutes. Drop in the bean
   curd and the pepper and the vinegar. Bring to a boil again. Give the
   cornstarch mixture a stir to recombine it and pour it into the soup.
   Stir for a few seconds until the soup thickens, then slowly pour in
   the beaten egg, stirring gently all the while. Remove the soup from
   the heat and ladle it into a tureen or serving bowl. Stir in the
   sesame seed oil and sprinkle the top with scallions. Serve at once.
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