A Chinese restaurant classic. I love making my own with fresh and high quality ingredients.

Ingredients

• Neutral oil — 1/2 tablespoon
• Dried red chilis — 3, or 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• Chicken stock — 8 cups (I like to use chicken bone broth)
• White pepper — 1 teaspoon
• Sugar — 1/2 teaspoon
• MSG — 1/2 teaspoon
• Light soy sauce (low sodium) — 3 tablespoons
• Dark soy sauce — 2 teaspoons
• Sesame oil — 1 teaspoon
• Mushrooms — 12 oz, sliced (I use a combination of wood ear, shiitake — dried and fresh — king oyster, and enoki)
• Bamboo shoots — 4 oz, sliced (can sub with cut stalks of broccoli, cauliflower, or carrots)
• Firm or extra firm tofu — 6 oz, cut into 1” pieces
• Eggs — 3, beaten
• Distilled white vinegar — 3 tablespoons
• Scallions — 2 chopped (for the soup) + 1 chopped (for garnish)

Cornstarch slurry:

• Water — 1/2 cup
• Cornstarch — 1/4 cup

Instructions

1. Heat a wok or heavy-bottomed pot on medium heat and add 1/2 tablespoon neutral oil. Add 3 dried red chilis (or 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes) and sauté for 1 minute, then remove the chilis once they’ve darkened slightly and infused the oil.
2. In the same pot over medium-high heat, pour in 8 cups chicken stock and season with 1 teaspoon white pepper, 1/2 teaspoon sugar, 1/2 teaspoon MSG, 3 tablespoons light soy sauce, 2 teaspoons dark soy sauce, and 1 teaspoon sesame oil. Mix until combined.
3. Add 12 oz sliced mushrooms, 4 oz sliced bamboo shoots, and 6 oz tofu (cut into 1” pieces). Mix well, cover, and bring to a boil.
4. Mix together 1/2 cup water and 1/4 cup cornstarch to create the slurry. Uncover the pot and stir in the slurry until the broth has thickened to a silky texture.
5. Turn off the heat and let the broth cool to 150F-160F, then pour in 3 beaten eggs in a steady stream while simultaneously mixing the soup with a ladle to form egg ribbons.
6. Add 3 tablespoons distilled white vinegar and mix together. Garnish with chopped scallions and serve.

Enjoy!

Notes

Egg ribbons — when adding the egg into the soup, make sure the egg is poured in a steady stream from the bowl, ideally using a ladle in the other hand to stir the soup as the egg is being poured. This is how you get restaurant-style silky ribbons rather than clumped scrambled eggs.

1. Make sure the broth is on low — if the soup is too hot, the eggs will cook too quickly and firm up (versus slowly cooking into ribbons).
2. Pour the egg in a slow, thin, and even stream. Don’t dump all of the egg in or pour it too quickly — this will result in clumps that look more like scrambled eggs.
3. Use a ladle or large spoon and continue to stir the soup while you add the eggs. The continuous movement ensures the eggs are evenly dispersed throughout the soup, which helps form the ribbons.