Chinese Hot and Sour Soup

For the past year or so, dad Giles has been having to cut out dairy from his diet due to the 'itchy ears' that result. He has been missing out on lots of his favourite dairy dishes so, as a special birthday treat, momma Giles decided to make a special tofu cheese cake. Nope, this post is not about that tofu cheese cake (it was ... well, better than I thought it would be but, sadly, not blog worthy... that is, unless I get lots of requests for the recipe!!), but rather, what resulted from the leftover tofu. Mum Giles loves hot and sour soup so we decided to cook some up for lunch.  Admittedly, this was one of my first attempts at cooking with tofu. I've certainly eaten it before, but never cooked with it per se. I'm sure that some of you may be very familiar with this super hero of the soy, but I for one, am usually quite content to go with the real thing (like using cream cheese in a cheesecake!). Tofu can be used in soups, puddings, dressings, dips, stir-fries and as substitutes for dairy products like sour cream, milk, egg or yoghurt. What feat can this coagulated soy milk not perform?? 

This soup was pretty darn tasty and sure was sour (check out the vinegar content!). I didn't have any scallions on hand so had to adorn with celery leaves instead (as you can see from the picture). The scallions would make a really nice topper though. I think that you will definitely enjoy making this homemade Chinese staple ... you'll be surprised at how easy it is to make on your own at home. Bon appétit!

Ingredients:
2 cans (14.5 ounces each) reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
3 to 4 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2-3 stalks celery, chopped
2 carrots, chopped or shredded
2 medium onions, chopped
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/2 package (7 ounces) soft or firm tofu, cut into 1/4-inch cubes, drained
2 tablespoons finely grated fresh ginger
3 scallions, thinly sliced
Optional: cooked pork

Directions:
1. If adding pork, cook your pork in your large (5 quart) soup pot with a small amount of olive oil. Add onions, carrots and celery and simmer until tender, about 7 minutes. Next, add your soup broth, soy sauce, crushed red pepper, and 2 cups water. Bring to a boil over medium heat.

2. In a small bowl, whisk together 3 tablespoons vinegar and cornstarch. Add to pot; simmer, stirring, until soup is thickened, about 1 minute.

3. Stirring your soup in a circular manner, slowly drizzle your egg in to the pot at one spot only so that the egg cooks while forming ribbons. Stir in tofu. Remove from heat; let stand, covered, 1 minute. Put ginger in a small sieve, and squeeze to release juice into soup (discard solids). Taste; add remaining tablespoon vinegar, if desired. Serve sprinkled with scallions.