Hot and Sour Soup

Ingredients

• For the broth:
• 1 pound chicken feet
• 1 pound chicken carcasses, roughly chopped
• 4 ounces Jinhua ham
• 2-inch knob ginger, sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, smashed with the side of a knife
• 1 onion, split in half
• 6 scallions, roughly chopped
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
• Kosher salt
• For the garnish:
• 1 ounce dried wood-ear mushrooms
• 1 ounce dried day lilies
• 6 ounces extra firm tofu, cut into thin matchsticks
• 6 ounces trimmed pork shoulder or loin, cut into 2-inch long slivers
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
• To Serve
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground white pepper, or more to taste
• 1/4 cup Chinkiang vinegar
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced scallions
• 1/4 cup picked fresh cilantro leaves

Directions

1. For the broth, put the chicken feet, chicken bones, and ham into a large stockpot and add enough cold water to cover. Set the pot over high heat and bring it up to a boil. Pour everything into the sink to drain, then rinse the bones well with cold running water. Put them back in the pot with the ginger, garlic, onion, and 6 scallions. Add water to cover, bring it back to a boil over high heat, then lower the heat until the liquid is barely bubbling. Cook for 1 hour, spooning away any foam or fat from time to time. Strain the broth through a fine mesh strainer into a large pot and throw away the solids. You should end up with about 1 1/2 quarts broth; if you have more, simmer it down to 1 1/2 quarts. In a small bowl, stir 2 teaspoons cornstarch with 2 teaspoons water using a fork, then whisk that mixture into the broth. Stir in the soy sauce and sesame oil. Bring the broth to a boil, add salt and pepper to taste, and hold it warm.
2. For the garnish, while the broth is simmering, put the wood-ears and day lilies into separate bowls and cover each with warm water. Soak them for at least half an hour. Drain them well, then slice the wood-ears thinly and cut the day lilies crosswise into 2-inch lengths.
3. When the broth is ready, stir in the sliced wood-ears, day lilies, tofu, and pork. Beat the egg with 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch. Bring the soup to a boil, then turn the heat down until it is just barely simmering. Pour in the egg slowly in a thin, even stream. Leave it alone for 15 seconds so the egg can set, then stir carefully to distribute it through the soup. Taste and add salt if needed.
4. Just before serving, stir in the white pepper and vinegar. Finish with a drizzle of sesame oil and scatter the scallions and cilantro over the top. Serve right away, with extra white pepper, vinegar, and sesame oil at the table so each bowl can be adjusted to taste.