baby it's cold outside.

this fancy new table cloth...

... with some yummy hot and sour soup.

Ingredients

Soup Base

1 tablespoon groundnut oil (peanut)

1 (1-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced

2 handfuls fresh shiitake mushrooms, sliced or 1 small handful dried Chinese mushrooms, reconstituted and sliced

1 red chile, seeded and finely chopped

1 tablespoon Shaohsing rice wine or dry sherry

3 cups vegetable stock, hot

1 (8 ounce) can bamboo shoots, drained and rinsed

1 tablespoon dark soy sauce

1 tablespoon light soy sauce

1 tablespoon black rice vinegar (recommended: Chinkiang) or balsamic vinegar

Pinch freshly cracked white pepper

1 tablespoon cornstarch, blended with 2 tablespoons cold water

For service

7 ounces cooked egg noodles

2 small handfuls bean sprouts

8 fresh baby corns, sliced*

1 spring onion, sliced

3 1/2 ounces cooked chicken, shredded

*Can be found at specialty Asian markets.

Directions

For the soup base:

Heat a wok over high heat, add the oil, and stir-fry the ginger and mushrooms until softened. Add the chile, Shaohsing rice wine, hot vegetable stock, bamboo shoots, soy sauces, black rice vinegar and the white pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil, thicken with the cornstarch slurry and set aside over low heat.

For service:

In some plastic pots, layer some of the cooked egg noodles with the raw bean sprouts, raw sliced baby corn, and spring onions. Top everything with the shredded chicken, and then spoon plenty of the soup base over the ingredients. Give the noodle pot or bowl a good stir, and serve immediately.