Classic Hot and Sour Soup
Hot and sour soup is Chinese cooking's best balancing act: sour from vinegar, heat from white pepper, and a silky body built on cornstarch. It is usually traced to Sichuan, though Beijing and Chinese-American kitchens each claim a version. Both defining notes go in at the end, so you decide how sharp it turns out.
Prep time15 min
Cook time20 min
Total time35 min
Servings4 servings
DifficultyEasy
Ingredients
- 8 cups chicken or vegetable broth
- 8-10 dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked in hot water for 30 minutes, stems removed and sliced
- 1/2 cup bamboo shoots, julienned
- 1 block (14 oz) firm tofu, cut into thin strips
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1/4 cup rice vinegar (or more to taste)
- 1 teaspoon white pepper (or to taste)
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch mixed with 3 tablespoons cold water
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 2 green onions, sliced (for garnish)
Instructions
- 1Cover the dried mushrooms with 2 cups of hot water and soak 30 minutes until pliable. Squeeze dry, strain and reserve the liquid, trim the stems, and slice the caps thinly.
- 2Bring the broth and strained mushroom liquid to a boil. Add the shiitake and bamboo shoots, drop to a medium simmer, and cook 5 minutes so the broth takes on their flavor.
- 3Add the tofu, soy sauce, and rice vinegar and simmer gently for 3 minutes, stirring with the back of a ladle so the tofu stays intact. It should taste a touch too sour and under-salted.
- 4Whisk the cornstarch with cold water just before using. Stream it into the simmering soup while stirring, then bubble 1 minute until it coats a spoon in a thin film.
- 5Keep the soup at a bare simmer, because a rolling boil shreds the egg. Drizzle in the beaten egg from 15 cm above, stirring slowly one way, then stop 10 seconds so the ribbons set.
- 6Turn off the heat before stirring in the white pepper and sesame oil. Added off the heat, the pepper stays bright instead of turning bitter.
- 7Correct the seasoning off the heat: vinegar 1 teaspoon at a time for sourness, white pepper 1/4 teaspoon for heat, soy sauce for salt.
- 8Ladle into warmed bowls, scatter over the green onions, and serve at once. The soup thickens as it stands, so loosen leftovers with hot broth.
Tips
- For more heat, add 1-2 teaspoons of chili garlic sauce or a dash of chili oil. Keep white pepper as the base note.
- Vegetarian: use vegetable broth and skip the pork. The mushroom liquid and tofu carry the umami.
- No dried shiitake? Use 8 fresh shiitake or cremini, sliced thin. Water chestnuts stand in for bamboo shoots.
- Keeps 3 days refrigerated and sets almost solid when cold. Reheat gently, thin with broth, and never freeze it.
- Start with 3 tablespoons of vinegar and 1/2 teaspoon of white pepper, then build up at the end.
