Soup.... Hot and Sour!

This isn't a perfectly traditional recipe, but it gets pretty close to what you'd find in a Chinese restaurant.

In a 5-quart pot, start simmering 4 cans of chicken broth. Add in small increments until the flavor is right:
Rice vinegar
Red wine vinegar (or just cheap red wine)
Soy sauce (I use low-sodium)
Sesame oil
Siracha hot sauce
Lime juice
Black pepper
Red pepper
Chili powder
Celery salt
Minced garlic (a couple tablespoons)
A few fresh sage leaves, to be removed before serving

Then there's the cornstarch, about a tablespoon-and-a-half. Don't dump it straight in the pot. You'll regret that. Put it in a separate measuring cup, add 1/3 to 1/2 cup of hot water, and stir. When it's milky, not lumpy, you can add it to the soup.

Two egg whites... use the technique of cracking the egg and letting the white run out into the soup, in little strings and globs, without breaking or dropping the yolk. Yeah, it takes some practice.

Add tofu chunks, different kinds of mushrooms, slivers of chicken or pork, green onions or chives, bamboo shoots. Experiment. I used drained pineapple in the latest batch, since someone put my bamboo shoots on a pizza.