Whenever I eat out at a Chinese or Chinese-American restaurant I always order a bowl of hot and sour soup. I just love the viscous broth that is balanced between spicy, savory, and sour flavors. Along with the common combination of sliced tofu, mushrooms, bamboo shoots, and ribbons of eggs that makes the overall dish both light and filling.
When it’s done right it always hits the spot!
Why You Should Make Your Own Hot and Sour Soup at Home?
That being said hot and sour soup can often be hit or miss depending on which restaurant you go to. Trust me, I’ve had plenty of hot and sour soups that were neither hot nor sour. Sometimes the broth can be as thin as water, while others are thicker than molasses. And on a few occasions, key ingredients will be omitted while random ingredients will be thrown in that take you completely by surprise.
But to be fair everyone has their own tastes and preferences. So while some of these soups might not do it for me, surely they are just right for someone else.
And that my friends is exactly why you should make your own hot and sour soup at home! Because when you make the soup yourself, you have full control over how it will turn out.
The Unique Ingredients You Will Need For This Soup
- Dried Mushrooms – Today’s recipe features two types of dried mushrooms, Shiitake, and Wood ear. I prefer to use the dried forms of both of these mushrooms because they have much more flavor than the fresh options. And when it comes to the Wood ear mushrooms dried is really your only option. However, both of these ingredients might be difficult to find at your local grocery store. But if you have an Asian market nearby they will definitely have both of these ingredients in stock. Or you can simply use the affiliate link below to order them through amazon.
- Firm Tofu – Tofu is a must in hot and sour soup. But when purchasing it from the store make sure that you get firm tofu, otherwise the tofu will disintegrate as it cooks in the soup. That being said if you can only find soft tofu then you can still use it. Just make sure to add it at the end during step 7 so that it doesn’t cook too long in the soup.
- Bambo Shoots – Bamboo shoots are often sold in small cans and can easily be found in most grocery stores these days. They don’t add much flavor to the soup and are mainly used to add a crunchy texture. However, if you don’t want to use bamboo shoots you can sub them out with other crunchy veggies like shredded carrots, julienned jicama, or even small chunks of water chestnuts.
- Soy Sauce – There are two types of soy sauce that will be used in this soup. First is the light soy sauce, which for most of us is just regular old soy sauce. And it is mainly used to add salt and umami flavor to the dish. The other type of soy sauce that we’ll use is dark. It doesn’t add much flavor to the soup but does give it a distinctly dark and rich color. So feel free to omit it completely if you don’t want to go out of your way to get it.
- White Pepper – This is the main ingredient that gives the soup its hot flavor. It can be easily found in most grocery stores and is often sold pre-ground.
- Vinegar – This is the main ingredient that gives the soup its sour flavor. Traditional Chinese recipes mostly call for Chinkiang, or “black” vinegar, so if you can find that then feel free to use it. However, most hot and sour soups made outside of China use basic white vinegar. So if you want to make your soup taste like how you would get it at your local Chinese takeout place, then stick with white distilled vinegar.
Tips, Tricks & Suggestions
- Today’s recipe for hot and sour soup doesn’t include any meat. Why? Well, that’s exactly how I enjoyed it growing up. And remember making this soup for yourself is all about making it how you like it. That being said if you are a fan of meat in your hot and sour soup don’t worry. You can easily add some to this recipe. To do it simply slice about ¼ Lb of either some pork or chicken into finely julienned slices. They should be no longer than 2 inches in length and no thicker than ¼ inch. Then all you have to do is add it to the soup during step 2, and it will be fully cooked by the time you are finished.
- This soup will keep in your fridge for at least 4 days, and should be reheated on your stovetop. However, if you want to store this soup for longer you can freeze it for up to 3 months. But, be aware that freezing the soup will break down the corn starch and make the soup thin again. So if you want to rethicken the soup you will need to thaw it, reheat it on a stovetop, and add more corn starch slurry just like we do in step 4.
- Check out our other great Chinese-American recipes like Orange Chicken, Bell Peppers & Beef, Kung Pao Chicken, Egg Fried Rice, Vegetable Chow Mein, and Chicken Lettuce Wraps.
Hot and Sour Soup Recipe
Prep time: 1 Hour, mostly to rehydrate the mushrooms
Cook time: 15 Minutes
Servings: 8 cups
Ingredients
0.3 oz. of dried Shiitake mushrooms
0.3 oz. of dried Wood ear mushrooms
For the Hot and Sour broth:
2 Quarts of chicken stock
½ Teaspoon of sugar
1 Teaspoon of salt, or more to taste
1 Tablespoon of light soy sauce
2 Teaspoons of dark soy sauce, optional
1 Teaspoon of toasted sesame oil
½ Teaspoon of ground white pepper, or more to taste
¼ Cup of white vinegar, or more to taste
Remaining ingredients for the soup:
8 oz. of firm tofu, cut into thin strips
8 oz. Can of bamboo shoots, julienned
⅓ Cup of corn starch
⅓ Cup of water
1 Egg, beaten
Optional Garnish:
Green onion, finely chopped
Cilantro, roughly chopped
Instructions
- Prep the dried mushrooms: Place the shiitake and wood ear mushrooms in separate bowls and cover them with hot water. Let these two ingredients soak for roughly 1 hour or until they are fully rehydrated.
Once that’s done remove the mushrooms from the water and slice them into thin strips.
- Make the broth base: Bring the 2 quarts of chicken stock to a light boil in a large pot. Add the sugar, salt, both soy sauces, and sesame oil. Stir everything together and let it simmer for a couple of minutes.
- Add the mushrooms to the pot and let everything simmer for another couple of minutes. Then add in the sliced tofu along with the julienned bamboo shoots and stir everything together.
Let the soup come back to a low simmer.
- Thicken with corn starch: whisk together the ⅓ cup of corn starch with a ⅓ cup of water in a small bowl or cup until there are no lumps. Slowly pour half of this corn starch slurry into the soup while simultaneously stirring the soup with a spoon.
At this point, the soup should start to thicken up. If the consistency is thick enough for your liking then don’t add the remaining corn starch slurry. However, if you prefer your soup to be of a thicker consistency then add more of the remaining corn starch slurry.
- Stir in the egg: Make sure that the soup is at a simmer. Then use either a ladle or a wooden spoon to stir the soup in a circular motion. If you don’t do this then the egg will form large clumps. Keep stirring the soup in this manner and then slowly drizzle the beaten egg into the soup.
- Add the ground white pepper and vinegar to the soup, and stir to incorporate them into the broth.
- Adjust the soup to your personal preference: Use a small spoon to taste the soup. If it’s not sour enough to your liking then add in a small splash of vinegar. If you want it to be spicier then add some more ground white pepper. And lastly, add in some salt if you feel like it needs it. Just keep adding in small amounts of each ingredient, and tasting the soup until it is exactly how you like it.
- Ladle the hot and sour soup into individual bowls and garnish with chopped green onions and cilantro. Enjoy!
Hot and Sour Soup Recipe
Servings: 8 cups
Ingredients
- 0.3 oz. of dried Shiitake mushrooms
- 0.3 oz. of dried Wood ear mushrooms
For the Hot and Sour broth:
- 2 Quarts of chicken stock
- ½ Teaspoon of sugar
- 1 Teaspoon of salt or more to taste
- 1 Tablespoon of light soy sauce
- 2 Teaspoons of dark soy sauce optional
- 1 Teaspoon of toasted sesame oil
- ½ Teaspoon of ground white pepper or more to taste
- ¼ Cup of white vinegar or more to taste
Remaining ingredients for the soup:
- 8 oz. of firm tofu cut into thin strips
- 8 oz. Can of bamboo shoots julienned
- ⅓ Cup of corn starch
- ⅓ Cup of water
- 1 Egg beaten
Optional Garnish:
- Green onion finely chopped
- Cilantro roughly chopped
Instructions
- Prep the dried mushrooms: Place the shiitake and wood ear mushrooms in separate bowls and cover them with hot water. Let these two ingredients soak for roughly 1 hour or until they are fully rehydrated. Once that’s done remove the mushrooms from the water and slice them into thin strips.
- Make the broth base: Bring the 2 quarts of chicken stock to a light boil in a large pot. Add the sugar, salt, both soy sauces, and sesame oil. Stir everything together and let it simmer for a couple of minutes.
- Add the mushrooms to the pot and let everything simmer for another couple of minutes. Then add in the sliced tofu along with the julienned bamboo shoots and stir everything together. Let the soup come back to a low simmer.
- Thicken with corn starch: whisk together the ⅓ cup of corn starch with a ⅓ cup of water in a small bowl or cup until there are no lumps. Slowly pour half of this corn starch slurry into the soup while simultaneously stirring the soup with a spoon. At this point, the soup should start to thicken up. If the consistency is thick enough for your liking then don’t add the remaining corn starch slurry. However, if you prefer your soup to be of a thicker consistency then add more of the remaining corn starch slurry.
- Stir in the egg: Make sure that the soup is at a simmer. Then use either a ladle or a wooden spoon to stir the soup in a circular motion. If you don’t do this then the egg will form large clumps. Keep stirring the soup in this manner and then slowly drizzle the beaten egg into the soup.
- Add the ground white pepper and vinegar to the soup, and stir to incorporate them into the broth.
- Adjust the soup to your personal preference: Use a small spoon to taste the soup. If it’s not sour enough to your liking then add in a small splash of vinegar. If you want it to be spicier then add some more ground white pepper. And lastly, add in some salt if you feel like it needs it. Just keep adding in small amounts of each ingredient, and tasting the soup until it is exactly how you like it.
- Ladle the hot and sour soup into individual bowls and garnish with chopped green onions and cilantro. Enjoy!
