Thai Hot & Sour Soup, My Style!

I consider Hot & Sour Soup my comfort food. These past few weeks, I've been craving for hot & sour soup. I wanted to cook it myself but I do not know how. I remember a friend mentioned that I can prepare this soup using tom yum paste. I have been looking for tom yum paste in the groceries, but it's not available. So, I improvised with the help of black vinegar and chili powder. My craving's satisfied.

Here lemme share thai hot & sour soup, my style recipe!

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
• 1/2 cup water
• 8 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup bamboo shoots
• 1/2 cup black fungus ( wood ear )
• 1 cup mushrooms,  sliced thinly
• 1 tablespoon white pepper
• 1/4 cup black vinegar
• Salt, to taste
• Hot red pepper, to taste
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 4 ounces tofu, cut into small cubes
• 1 tsp. chilli powder

Directions:

1. Whisk together cornstarch and water; set aside. 
2. In a pot, warm chicken broth over medium heat. When stock begins to steam, add bamboo shoots, black fungus and mushrooms; cook for 15 minutes.
3. Stir in white pepper, black vinegar, salt and hot pepper to taste. Add cornstarch mixture slowly, stirring until mixture is thick and well-combined (at least 2 minutes -- taste to make sure there is no lingering cornstarch aftertaste before proceeding). Add beaten egg, stirring to make swirls of cooked egg in the soup, with tofu pieces.
4. Serve immediately.