1/4 cup wood ear mushrooms (dried and rehydrated)

1/3 cup shiitake mushrooms (dried and rehydrated)

1/4 cup lily flowers (dried and rehydrated) (optional)

2 tsp ginger (minced)

ginger (minced) 1 clove garlic (finely chopped)

2 green onions ( chopped)

( 2 tbsp Chinkiang vinegar

1 tsp ground white pepper

6 cups water (filtered or spring water is recommended)



1/2 block (8 ounces) firm tofu, cubed (don’t use soft, as it won’t keep it’s shape)



1 tbsp soy sauce

3 tbsp cornstarch (to thicken the base)



1 tsp salt

2 eggs ( beaten)

( 1 tsp sesame oil



fresh cilantro (for garnish)

Other optional ingredients include bamboo shoots or nappa cabbage.

A couple of dried spicy red peppers can be added if you would like a little extra heat. If you choose to add these, then add them at the same time as the rehydrated mushrooms.

If you cannot find these particular dried mushrooms, you could also use a bag of forest mushrooms. It is not recommended to use fresh mushrooms as they do not influence the soup base as much, but you can if necessary.



If you would like to add meat, you could add something such as marinated pork loin or even prawns but this is not always typical or necessary.