Hot and Sour Soup (Video)

5 from 174 votes

Better than takeout Hot and Sour Soup! This rich and flavorful soup is packed with wood ear mushrooms, tofu, and silky egg with a bit of spice and tang to make for an incredible comfort meal!

Prep Time10

Cook Time10

Course: Soup

Cuisine: Chinese

Servings:

Author: Chris Joe

Ingredients

8 cups chicken stock
3 tbsp distilled white vinegar
1 tsp white pepper
kosher salt (to taste)
1/2 tsp sugar
3 tbsp light soy sauce low sodium
2 tsp dark soy sauce
1/2 tsp msg
1 tsp sesame oil

Vegetables

12 oz assorted mushrooms I used sliced wood ears mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms, and king oyster mushrooms
2 green onions chopped
3 dried red chilis or 1 tsp of red pepper flakes
6 oz firm tofu cut into 1" pieces
4 oz bamboo shoots sliced
1/2 tbsp neutral oil
3 eggs

Cornstarch Slurry

1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup water

Instructions

Slice vegetables and tofu and set aside. Mix together cornstarch slurry and beat eggs in two separate bowls.
Heat wok or heavy bottomed pot on high and add 1/2 tbsp of oil. Add chilis and saute for 1 minute and remove once the chilis have infused in the oil.
In the pot, pour in 8 cups of chicken stock and season with white pepper, sugar, msg, light soy sauce and dark soy sauce, and sesame oil. Mix and season with salt to taste.
Add sliced mushrooms, bamboo shoots, and tofu and mix well. Cover and bring to a boil.
Uncover the pot and mix in the cornstarch slurry and stir until the broth has thickened to your preference.
Turn heat to low, then pour in the beaten egg in a steady stream into the soup while simultaneously mixing the soup with a ladle to form egg ribbons throughout the soup
Add 3 tbsp of white vinegar and additional sesame oil to taste. Mix together, garnish with green onions and serve.

Notes

You can use chicken stock or bone broth, depending on your preference. You can also substitute with vegetable stock or broth.

You can substitute distilled white vinegar with rice vinegar or rice wine vinegar, but I prefer white vinegar.

This is a Chinese cooking pantry staple and one of my favorite ingredients! White pepper adds an earthiness and spiciness that sets apart Chinese restaurant dishes. If you don't have this, you can substitute with black pepper.

You can use any combination of mushrooms you prefer. I love using an assortment for the different flavors and textures - in the video and photos below, I used sliced wood ear, shiitake, and king oyster mushrooms. If you can't find all of these mushroom types, I would say dried shiitake mushrooms will lend itself to making your Hot and Sour Soup taste the most authentic!

If you are using dried shiitake mushrooms, be sure to rehydrate them in hot water until they're soft before slicing the mushrooms.

You must use firm or extra firm tofu; otherwise, the tofu will disintegrate into your Hot and Sour Soup!

Bamboo shoots are sold in cans; I like to get mine from my local Chinese grocery (99 Ranch). If you cannot find them, you can substitute with another vegetable that a similar texture and can be sliced into strips (such as the stalks of broccoli or cauliflower or even carrots.)

The cornstarch slurry will help thicken the stock to the consistency you like! If you like the soup thinner, add less, but if you like an extra thick soup add a little more! This is my ideal ratio based on an 8 cup batch of Hot and Sour Soup.

For the egg ribbons, my key tip here is to stir the soup in a circular motion and slowly pour in a thin, steady stream of egg. Ensure the soup is not too hot (test a small amount of egg to see if the ribbons form correctly) - this is another reason for less than ideal egg ribbons!

STORAGE

You can store this soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. I do not recommend freezing it because it uses cornstarch to thicken up - the consistency when defrosted won't be the same.

Nutrition