Hot and Sour Soup with Wontons

In a medium bowl, combine the pork, ginger, sesame oil, soy sauce, green onion and garlic. Spoon 1 tablespoon of the mixture into the center of the wonton wrappers, moisten the edges with water, fold diagonally and pinch to seal shut. Place the folded wontons on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, cover with plastic wrap and keep them in the refrigerator until ready to use.

In a small bowl, cover the lily buds with boiling water and let stand until softened, about 10 minutes. In another small bowl, cover the dried wood ear mushrooms with boiling water and let stand until softened, about 20 to 30 minutes. Rinse and coarsely chop.

In a large pot, heat the oil over moderately high heat. Add the garlic, scallions and ginger and cook for 1 minute. Add the stock and bring to a simmer. Measure out 1/4 cup of the stock and set aside in a small bowl. Add the lily buds, mushrooms, tofu, bamboo shoots, vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, pepper and sugar to the pot and return the soup to a simmer. Stir the cornstarch into the reserved 1/4 cup of stock and then drizzle the mixture into the soup, stirring gently until slightly thickened, about 3 to 4 minutes. Carefully add the wontons to the soup, bring to a slow boil, and cook over moderately high heat for 8 minutes, until the wonton meat is cooked through and no longer pink.

Taste the soup and add more of the vinegar and soy sauce if desired. Serve with chili oil.

Lily buds, wood ear mushrooms, and Chinese black vinegar are available at Asian grocery stores.