1. Soak dried mushrooms. Reserve soaking liquid.

2. Sliver mushrooms, pork and bean curd. Mince scallion. Beat egg lightly. Blend cornstarch and cold water to a paste.

3. Bring stock and mushroom-soaking liquid to a boil. Add pork and mushrooms and simmer, covered, 10 minutes.

4. Add bean curd and simmer, covered, 3 minutes more.

5. Stir in sherry, vinegar, salt, soy sauce and pepper. Thicken with cornstarch paste.

6. Slowly add beaten egg, stirring gently once or twice. Remove from heat. Sprinkle with sesame oil and minced scallion.

For the white vinegar, substitute wine or cider vinegar, or lemon juice.

For the sesame oil, substitute Tabasco Sauce.

In step 3, add with pork and mushrooms, 1/2 cup bamboo shoots, slivered; or 4 cloud-ear mushrooms and 1/4 cup lily buds (both soaked and cut in half).

Omit vinegar and pepper. (It's then called "Mandarin Soup.")

From <The Thousand Recipe Chinese Cookbook>, Isbn 0-517-65870-4. Downloaded from Glen's Mm Recipe Archive, http://www. Erols. Com/hosey.