Hot and Sour Soup

When I made this soup, I felt like the instructions were unreasonably complicated sounding. But all in all, it really wasn't all THAT complex and it tasted great! Well, it tasted just like hot and sour soup tastes when you get it from the Chinese take out place, and that is how I judge success!

Hot and Sour Soup

Adapted from Cooks Illustrated

Ingredients

7 ounces extra-firm tofu , drained

4 tablespoons soy sauce

1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

3 tablespoons cornstarch , plus an additional 1 1/2 teaspoons

1 boneless, skinless chicken breat (1/2 inch thick, about 6 ounces), trimmed of fat and cut into 1 inch by 1/8-inch matchsticks

3 tablespoons cold water , plus 1 additional teaspoon

1 large egg

6 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1 cup bamboo shoots (from one 5-ounce can), sliced lengthwise into 1/8-inch-thick strips

4 ounces fresh shiitake mushrooms , stems removed, caps sliced 1/4 inch thick (about 1 cup)

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar plus 1 tablespoon balsamic vinega

2 teaspoons hot sesame oil

1 teaspoon ground pepper

3 medium scallions , sliced thin

 Instructions

1. Place tofu in pie plate and set heavy plate on top. Weight with 2 heavy cans; let stand at least 15 minutes (tofu should release about 1/2 cup liquid). Whisk 1 tablespoon soy sauce, regular sesame oil, and 1 teaspoon cornstarch in medium bowl; toss chicken with marinade and set aside for at least 10 minutes (but no more than 30 minutes).
2. Combine 3 tablespoons cornstarch with 3 tablespoons water in small bowl and mix thoroughly; set aside, leaving spoon in bowl. Mix remaining 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch with remaining 1 teaspoon water in small bowl; add egg and beat with fork until combined. Set aside.
3. Bring broth to boil in large saucepan set over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low; add bamboo shoots and mushrooms and simmer until mushrooms are just tender, about 5 minutes. While broth simmers, dice tofu into 1/2-inch cubes. Add tofu and chicken, including marinade, to soup, stirring to separate any pieces of chicken that stick together. Continue to simmer until chicken is no longer pink, about 2 minutes.

1. Stir cornstarch mixture to recombine. Add to soup and increase heat to medium-high; cook, stirring occasionally, until soup thickens and turns translucent, about 1 minute. Stir in vinegar, hot sesame oil, pepper, and remaining 3 tablespoons soy sauce; turn off heat.
2. Without stirring soup, use soupspoon to slowly drizzle very thin streams of egg mixture into pot in circular motion. Let soup sit 1 minute, then return saucepan to medium-high heat. Bring soup to gentle boil, then immediately remove from heat. Gently stir soup once to evenly distribute egg; ladle into bowls and top with scallions.