YIELD: 6-8 SERVINGS ... see my notes below before making.
I have also included at the end, a half recipe to make 1 liter.
EASY HOT AND SOUR SOUP
This classic Chinese hot and sour soup recipe is quick and easy to make, full of delicious flavor, easy to make vegetarian (with tofu!) or with pork, and it totally rivals any soup I’ve tried at a Chinese restaurant!
TOTAL TIME: 20 MINS
PREP TIME: 5 MINS
COOK TIME: 15 MINS
INGREDIENTS:
- 8 cups chicken or vegetable stock
- 8 ounces shiitake mushrooms (or baby bella mushrooms), thinly-sliced with stems discarded
- optional: 1 (8-ounce) can bamboo shoots, drained
- 1/4 cup rice vinegar, or more to taste
- 1/4 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon chili garlic sauce
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 2 large eggs, whisked
- 8 ounces firm tofu*, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- 4 green onions (scallions), thinly sliced
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- Kosher salt and black pepper (or white pepper**)
- Set aside ¼ cup of the chicken or vegetable stock for later use.
- Add the remaining 7 ¾ cups chicken or vegetable stock, mushrooms, bamboo shoots (if using), rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, ginger and chili garlic sauce to a large stock pot, and stir to combine. Heat over medium-high heat until the soup reaches a simmer.
- While the soup is heating, whisk together the ¼ cup of stock (that you had set aside) and cornstarch in a small bowl until completely smooth. Once the soup has reached a simmer, stir in the cornstarch mixture and stir for 1 minute or so until the soup has thickened.
- Continue stirring the soup in a circular motion, then drizzle in the eggs in a thin stream (while still stirring the soup) to create egg ribbons. Stir in the tofu, half of the green onions, and sesame oil. Then season the soup with salt and black pepper (or white pepper) to taste. If you’d like a more “sour” soup, feel free to add in another tablespoon or two of rice wine vinegar as well. Or if you’d like a spicier soup, add in more chili garlic sauce.
- Serve immediately, garnished with the extra green onions.
*Or, you’re welcome to make this with pork instead of tofu. Just add in a half pound of cooked pork — ground pork, or you can thinly-slice pork chops or pork loin — in place of the tofu.
**I actually prefer using a pinch of white pepper in this soup instead of black pepper. But in case you’ve never used it, be careful — it has a much stronger and different flavor than black pepper! So start with less, and then you can always add more. :)
https://www.gimmesomeoven.com/hot-and-sour-soup-recipe/
Made 7 January 2018 for first time. Used half recipe with 2 x 500 ml tetra packs Chicken Broth, Tastie Chili Bamboo shoots, fresh ginger, regular light soy, lily roots, 3 Chinese mushrooms, ½ tsp white pepper. Bit salty. Maybe try less soy or sodium reduced soy as per recipe or salt reduced Broth. 2 really large MXN green onions was too much. Used 6 oz (1/2 package) tetra pack firm tofu. Used 1/2 of the amounts below for pork from other hot and sour soup recipe on this website:
- 2 ounces pork tenderloin
- Marinade:
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon tapioca starch (or cornstarch)
As above, the following is my recipe for the half recipe that we are currently using (March 2019):
I use the Instant Pot to make broth using the Soup/Broth pressure cooker setting (45 minutes) … 1 x 900 ml tetra pack of low sodium chicken broth from Superstore with 1 x 900 ml water and 10 chicken feet
I freeze half the broth and use the other half to make a half recipe of Easy Hot and Sour Soup more or less according to the above recipe.
If you have some char siu, use it and if you don’t, just take a small piece of pork and take off the fat before slicing it thinly and marinading:
- 2 ounces pork
- Marinade:
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
- 3 shiitake mushrooms thinly-sliced with stems discarded
- Several lily roots, soaked and with hard end discarded
- Good pinch of black fungus/wood ear soaked
- 1/4 cup or so of bamboo shoots, drained
- 1/4 cup rice vinegar
- 1/8 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon chili garlic sauce
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1 large egg, whisked
- 4 ounces firm tofu, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- 1 green onion (scallions), thinly sliced
- 1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
Add the 900 ml chicken stock, mushrooms, bamboo shoots, lily roots, dog ear, rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, ginger and chili garlic sauce to a large stock pot, and stir to combine. Heat over medium-high heat until the soup reaches a simmer.
While the soup is heating, whisk together ¼ cup of stock and cornstarch in a small bowl until completely smooth. Once the soup has reached a simmer, stir in the cornstarch mixture and stir for 1 minute or so until the soup has thickened.
Continue stirring the soup in a circular motion, then drizzle in the egg in a thin stream (while still stirring the soup) to create egg ribbons. Stir in the tofu, the green onion, and sesame oil. Then season the soup with white pepper to taste. If you’d like a more “sour” soup, feel free to add in another tablespoon or two of rice wine vinegar as well. Or if you’d like a spicier soup, add in more chili garlic sauce.
Serve immediately, garnished with the extra green onions.
On August 13, 2023, I used this recipe using Chinkiang Vinegar as i had run out of Rice Vinegar. Results were very good.
https://omnivorescookbook.com/recipes/authentic-hot-and-sour-soup
- 1/3 cup dried shiitake mushrooms
- 1/4 cup dried woodear mushrooms
- 1/4 cup dried lily flowers
- 2 teaspoons minced ginger
- 2 green onions chopped
- 2 tablespoons Chinkiang vinegar
- 1 teaspoon white pepper powder (or 1/2 teaspoon white pepper powder for a less spicy dish)
- 6 cups water or chicken stock (*Footnote 3)
- 1/2 block (8 oz / 227 g) firm tofu, cubed
- 1 tablespoon light soy sauce or soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
- 2 eggs beaten
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil