Hot and Sour Soup

A riff on Mark Bittman's Hot and Sour Sour Recipe

Last night was rainy and chilly in Brooklyn and I decided to try Mark Bittman's Hot and Sour Soup Recipe from How to Cook Everything... I made a change or two, namely taking out the cornstarch and using arrowroot, using stock instead of water instead and leaving out the meat. It came out wonderfully....
Ingredients
5 dried shiitake mushrooms
5 dried wood ear mushrooms
3 cups natural vegetable broth
1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1 tablespoon nama shoyu
1/2 to 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 pound extra firm tofu, drained, pressed and cut into 1/4-inch cubes
2 1/2 tablespoons arrowroot
2 farmer's market eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1 teaspoon dark sesame oil

(Aquinnah didn't mess around when it came to getting cozy, either. Maybe next I'll make a dog friendly chicken soup).

relaxing

Place mushrooms in a medium bowl; cover with boiling water let stand 10 minutes or until tender; drain. Thinly slice mushrooms; set aside.

Combine broth, 2 cups stock, ginger, and garlic in a large saucepan over medium-high heat; bring to a boil. Add mushrooms. Reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes. Add vinegar, soy sauce, pepper, and tofu; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes.

Combine remaining 1cup stuck and cornstarch, stirring with a whisk. Stir cornstarch mixture into broth mixture; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 3 minutes or until soup thickens slightly, stirring frequently. Slowly pour egg into broth mixture in a steady stream, stirring constantly but gently with a wooden spoon. Remove from heat; stir in onions and sesame oil. Enjoy!