Hot And Sour Tofu Soup

Servings: 1
Ingredients:

8 md Dry shiitake mushrooms
-(about 3/4 oz. total)
1 tb Salad oil
1    Clove garlic, minced or
-pressed
1 tb Minced fresh ginger
1 1/2 qt Regular-strength chicken
-broth
1 lb Soft or regular tofu,
-rinsed, cut into 1/2-inch
-cubes, and
Drained well
3 tb Rice vinegar or cider
-vinegar
1 1/2 tb Soy sauce
3 tb Cornstarch
3/4    To 1 teaspoon white pepper
1/2    To 1 teaspoon chili oil
-(optional)
4    Green onions (ends
-trimmed), thinly sliced
Crisp noodles (recipe
-follows)
Crisp-creamy peas (recipe
-follows)

Soak mushrooms in hot water to cover until soft, about 20 minutes.

Drain; cut off tough stems and discard. Cut caps into thin strips;
set aside.

Pour oil into a 4- to 5-quart pan. Place over medium heat and add
garlic and ginger; stir until garlic is light gold. Add broth and
mushrooms; bring to a boil on high heat. Add tofu; cover and simmer
until tofu is hot, 3 to 5 minutes. Mix rice vinegar, soy sauce, and
cornstarch until smooth; stir into soup. Cook, stirring, until soup
boils. Add white pepper and chili oil to taste. Stir in onions.
Pour into a tureen. offer noodles and peas to add to taste.

Makes 6 servings.

CRISP NOODLES:

Pour about 1 inch salad oil into a 2 1/2- to 3-quart pan. Heat oil to
350F. Add a handful of fresh Chinese noodles or fresh taglierini
(you’ll need 3 oz. total) to oil; fry, turning, until crisp and
golden, about 1 minute. Lift out; drain on paper towels. Repeat to
fry remaining noodles. Serve, or let cool and store airtight for up
to 5 days. Makes 3 cups. Or omit this step and use 1 can (5 oz.) chow
mein noodles.

CRISP-CREAMY PEAS:

Rinse and drain 1 can (16 oz.) black-eyed peas. Spread out on a
double layer of paper towels and pat dry. Place beans in a 10- by
15- inch baking pan. Add 1 tablespoon salad oil and mix to coat
beans. Bake in a 400F oven until beans are lightly browned and crisp
on outside, about 15 minutes; stir occasionally. Serve hot or warm.
Makes 1 cup.

Sunset Magazine, 4/89.

Posted by Stephen Ceideberg; February 10 1992.