Tangy Multi-mushroom Soup

Ingredients

• 1 small package enoki mushrooms
• 5 to 6 large dried shiitake mushrooms
• 1 large can straw mushrooms
• 3 to 4 black fungus mushrooms or any variety of mushroom you're comfy with — I used a dried version of these and they became huge!
• 8 cups water
• ¼ cup dry sherry or rice wine
• ⅓ cup cider vinegar
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 to 3 egg whites
• 3 sliced scallions
• ¼ to ½ tsp white pepper
• 2 tbsp cornstarch

Directions

1. Boil 2 cups of the water and pour it over the shiitake and fungus and any ever other dried mushrooms you may have chosen.
2. Let this sit in a bowl for 30 minutes.
3. When the mushrooms have finished soaking, squeeze the juice out of them and cut them into bit sized pieces; do not use the stems.
4. Pour the soaking juice into a large soup pan with 5½ cups of water.
5. Bring the water and all the mushrooms except the enoki mushrooms to a boil.
6. Add rice wine or sherry, soy sauce and vinegar.
7. Reduce the heat and allow mixture to simmer for at least 10 minutes.
8. (if you"re trying to get other dishes to come out at the same time, this is a good place to just let the mixture simmer till youire ready for it!).
9. Mix the cornstarch and the remaining ½ cup of cool water in a cup.
10. Whisk the mixture into the hot soup.
11. This is the possible lump stage, but with all the mushrooms and egg whites, who will know?).
12. Drizzle the egg whites into the soup, whisking or stirring constantly.
13. Add the white pepper.
14. Wait 2-3 minutes and then dish up the soup, garnishing each bowl with scallions and enoki mushrooms.
15. (these last add a lot of flavor!).