4    Dried Chinese mushrooms,
-1 to 1 1/2 in dia
2    Squares, 3 inches each,
-fresh
-Chinese bean curd, about
-1/2 inch thick
1/2 c  Canned bamboo shoots
1/4 lb Boneless pork
1 qt Chicken stock, fresh or
-canned
1 ts Salt
1    Scallion, including the
-green top, finely chopped
1 tb Soy sauce
1/4 ts Ground white
-pepper
2 tb White vinegar
2 tb Cornstarch*
-mixed with 3 tablespoons
-cold water
1    Egg, lightly beaten
2 ts Sesame seed oil

* if soup is not thick enough, add 2 more spoons of cornstarch (mixed into
cold water) into the soup PREPARE AHEAD: 1. In a small bowl, cover the
mushrooms with 1/2 cup of warm water and let them soak for 30 minutes.
Discard the water. With a cleaver or knife, cut away and discard the tough
stems of the mushrooms, and shred the caps by placing one at a time on a
chopping board. Cut them horizontally into paper-thin slices, and then into
thin strips. 2. Drain the pieces of bamboo shoots and bean curd, and rinse
them in cold water. Shred them as fine as the mushrooms. 3. With a cleaver
or sharp knife, trim the pork of all fat. Then shred it, too, by slicing
the meat as thin as possible and cutting the slices into narrow strips
about 1-1/2 to 2 inches long. 4. Have the above ingredients, stock, salt,
soy sauce, pepper, vinegar, cornstarch mixture, egg, sesame seed oil and
scallions within easy reach. TO COOK: Combine in a heavy 3-quart saucepan
the stock, salt, soy sauce, mushrooms, bamboo shoots and pork. Bring to a
boil over high heat, then immediately reduce the heat to low, cover the pan
and simmer for 3 minutes. Drop in the bean curd and the pepper and the
vinegar. Bring to a boil again. Give the cornstarch mixture a stir to
recombine it and pour it into the soup. Stir for a few seconds until the
soup thickens, then slowly pour in the beaten egg, stirring gently all the
while. Remove the soup from the heat and ladle it into a tureen or serving
bowl. Stir in the sesame seed oil and sprinkle the top with scallions.
Serve at once.