Hot and sour soup

Read through the recipe, then gather the equipment and use the ingredient lines to prepare and measure everything. Almost everything happens in the final few minutes of cooking, so set each prepared ingredient in its own small bowl near the stove. Everything is prepared and measured before the pot goes on the heat.

Soak the dried shiitake mushrooms and 2 tbsp dried wood ear mushroom pieces, if using, in 2 cups hot water in the heatproof bowl, with the small plate on top to keep them under, until soft all the way through, about 20 minutes.

Coat the pork while the mushrooms soak: toss 4 oz boneless pork loin with 1 tsp soy sauce and 1 tsp cornstarch. In a small bowl, stir 3 tbsp cornstarch into 1/4 cup cold water for the slurry, and beat the eggs in another bowl. The pork is evenly coated and the slurry is smooth.

Lift out the mushrooms, squeezing their liquid back into the bowl. Cut off and throw away the shiitake stems, slice the caps thin and cut the wood ear into strips. Strain 1 cup of the soaking liquid through the lined strainer, leaving the grit behind. The strained liquid is clear.

Combine 5 cups low-sodium chicken broth, the strained mushroom liquid, the sliced mushrooms, 1 cup canned sliced bamboo shoots, 2 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tsp sugar and 1/2 tsp flaky kosher salt in a 4- to 5-quart saucepan or soup pot. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, then turn to medium-low heat and simmer until the mushrooms taste seasoned through, about 5 minutes.

Add the coated pork a few strips at a time over medium-low heat, stirring the strips apart. Simmer until the pork is opaque and firm with no pink and a bundle of strips reads 145°F (63°C) on an instant-read thermometer, about 2 minutes. Slide in 7 oz firm tofu and simmer until it is hot through. The USDA endpoint for whole cuts of pork includes a three-minute rest, which the pork gets in the hot soup as you finish.

Stir the slurry again, since the starch settles, and pour it into the soup while stirring. Keep stirring at a simmer over medium-low heat until the soup turns glossy and lightly coats the spoon, about 1 minute.

Turn the heat down to low heat so the soup barely bubbles, and stir it slowly in one direction. Stop stirring and pour the beaten eggs in a thin stream along the prongs of a fork held over the pot. Wait until the ribbons float up and set firm, with no runny egg, about 30 seconds, then stir gently.

Turn off the heat; on an electric burner, also slide the pot off. Once the bubbling stops, stir in 3 tbsp Chinkiang black vinegar, 2 tbsp unseasoned rice vinegar, 1 tsp ground white pepper and 1 tsp toasted sesame oil. The soup smells sharply sour and peppery.

Taste the soup. Aim for sour first, then warm pepper at the back of the throat, savory underneath and barely sweet. If it tastes flat, add flaky kosher salt to taste; if it is not sour enough, add Chinkiang black vinegar to taste; if it is not hot enough, add ground white pepper to taste. The soup tastes sour, hot and savory.

Ladle the soup into bowls to make 4 servings and top them with the green onions. Set out chili oil to taste at the table, if you like. Refrigerate leftovers promptly and reheat them to 165°F (74°C), checked with an instant-read thermometer. The soup is portioned and garnished.