Chinese hot and sour soup

MAKES 8 SERVINGS

1/2 pound boneless pork

3 tablespoons soy sauce, divided

10 dried lily buds

4 dried shiitake mushrooms

4 dried cloud ears

6 cups chicken broth

3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

8 ounces fresh tofu

1 tablespoon cold water

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 beaten egg

2 tablespoons thinly sliced scallions

Partially freeze pork; cut pork into 1 by 1/4-inch strips.

Sprinkle meat with 1 tablespoon soy sauce and set aside. In three separate bowls, soak lily buds, mushrooms and cloud ears, in enough hot water to cover, for 30 minutes. Drain lily buds, mushrooms and cloud ears. Cut off and discard tough stem end of lily buds and tie each piece into a single knot and set aside. Thoroughly rinse cloud ears under running water; drain well.

Cut off and discard mushroom and cloud ear stems. Cut mushrooms and cloud ears into thin strips. In a large saucepan, bring chicken broth to a boil; stir in reserved pork, the remaining soy sauce, lily buds, mushrooms, cloud ears, rice wine vinegar and pepper. Simmer, covered, 10 minutes. Slice tofu into 1/4-inch wide strips. Add to soup.

Simmer, covered, three minutes more. In a small bowl, blend cold water into cornstarch and stir into soup. Pour egg slowly into hot soup in a thin stream, beating constantly with a fork until egg cooks and shreds, about 2 minutes. Cook soup until slightly thickened and bubbly, about five minutes. Remove from heat, stir in scallions and serve hot.

Nutrition facts per serving: 137 calories, 8 g fat, 2 g saturated fat, 43 mg cholesterol, 9 g carbohydrates, 8 g protein, 1454 mg sodium, 2 g fiber

Better Homes and Gardens Oriental Cookbook