Hot and sour soup is a favourite on Chinese restaurant menus for good reason. It is peppery, tangy and silky, filled with mushrooms, tofu and ribbons of egg. Making it at home takes about 30 minutes and gives a bowl that is just as satisfying.
Why You Will Love This Hot and Sour Soup
- A perfect balance of heat from pepper and tang from vinegar
- Light, low in calories and easy to make
- Great for chilly days or when you have a cold
Ingredient Notes
White pepper: Gives the signature warm heat. Rice vinegar: Adds mellow sourness. Cornflour slurry: Gives the soup its silky, glossy body. Egg: Poured in a thin stream, it forms delicate ribbons.
Tips for Restaurant-Style Soup
Slice the vegetables thin so they cook quickly. Add the vinegar and white pepper gradually and taste, because the balance is personal. For perfect egg ribbons, lower the heat and pour the egg slowly while stirring gently in one direction.
Serving and Variations
Serve piping hot with fried rice or noodles. For extra flavour, add rehydrated dried shiitake mushrooms. Make it vegan by leaving out the egg and using vegetable stock.
Frequently Asked Questions
What makes hot and sour soup both hot and sour?
White pepper provides the heat, while rice vinegar gives the sourness. Balancing them is the key, so taste and adjust at the end.
How do I get the silky egg ribbons?
Slowly drizzle beaten egg into the gently simmering soup while stirring in one direction. Do not let the soup boil hard, or the egg will break up into small pieces.
What thickens the soup?
A cornflour (corn starch) slurry, stirred into the simmering broth, gives the soup its characteristic slightly thick, glossy body.
Can I make it vegetarian?
Yes. Use vegetable stock and add tofu, mushrooms and bamboo shoots. It is just as flavourful with the pepper and vinegar balance.
Which mushrooms are best?
Shiitake gives the deepest flavour, but button or oyster mushrooms also work. Dried shiitake, soaked first, adds extra savouriness.
Can I make it ahead?
Yes. The soup keeps for two to three days in the refrigerator. Add the egg and finish with vinegar and pepper after reheating for the best flavour.
More Recipes You Will Love
- Vegetable Fried Rice: quick wok-tossed rice
- Veg Manchurian: crispy vegetable balls in a tangy Indo-Chinese sauce
- Miso Soup: light, savoury Japanese umami soup
- Tom Yum Goong (Thai Hot and Sour Prawn Soup): fragrant hot and sour prawn soup
Hot and Sour Soup
Description
Hot and sour soup is a classic Chinese soup that balances the heat of white pepper with the tang of rice vinegar in a silky, lightly thickened broth. It is filled with mushrooms, tofu, carrot and delicate ribbons of egg. This recipe gives the exact seasoning balance and the egg-ribbon technique for a restaurant-style bowl in 30 minutes.Ingredients (serves 4)
Soup Base
Seasoning and Thickener
To Finish
Instructions
-
Slice the Mushrooms
Wipe the 100 g of mushrooms clean with a damp cloth and slice them as thinly as you can, about 3 mm thick.Tip: Slice the vegetables thin so they cook quickly. Wipe the mushrooms rather than washing them, as they soak up water. -
Cut the Carrot into Matchsticks
Peel the carrot and cut it into thin matchsticks, about 5 cm long and 3 mm thick.Tip: Cut the carrot to the same thickness as the mushrooms so everything cooks at the same speed. -
Cut the Tofu into Strips
Pat the 100 g of firm tofu dry with paper towels and cut it into thin strips about 5 mm wide and 5 cm long.Tip: Handle the tofu gently so it does not crumble. Firm tofu holds its shape better than soft or silken. -
Slice the Spring Onions and Beat the Egg
Thinly slice the 2 spring onions. Lightly beat the 1 egg with a fork in a small jug, so it is easy to pour in a thin stream later.Tip: Beat the egg just until the white and yolk are combined. A jug with a spout gives you much better control for the ribbons. -
Make the Cornflour Slurry
In a small bowl, stir 2 tablespoons of cornflour into 4 tablespoons of cold water until completely smooth, with no lumps at the bottom.Tip: Always mix cornflour with cold water. Hot liquid makes it clump instantly. -
Measure the Seasonings
In another small bowl, combine 2 tablespoons of soy sauce, 2 tablespoons of rice vinegar and 1 teaspoon of white pepper.Tip: Mixing the seasonings first means they go in all at once, so the soup stays at the same temperature. White pepper gives the traditional heat of this soup. -
Bring the Stock to a Boil
Pour the 4 cups of hot stock into a large pot and bring it to a boil over medium-high heat.Tip: Using hot stock helps the soup come to a boil faster, which keeps the vegetables from overcooking. -
Cook the Mushrooms and Carrot
Add the sliced mushrooms and carrot matchsticks. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for about 4 minutes, until they are just tender.Tip: The carrot should still have a slight bite. Overcooked vegetables make the soup look dull. -
Add the Tofu and Seasonings
Add the tofu strips and pour in the bowl of soy sauce, rice vinegar and white pepper. Stir gently and simmer for 2 minutes.Tip: Stir gently with a spoon, folding rather than stirring, so the tofu keeps its shape. -
Thicken the Soup
Stir the cornflour slurry again, then pour it into the soup in a steady stream while stirring. Simmer for 1 to 2 minutes, until the soup turns glossy and lightly thickened, enough to coat the back of a spoon.Tip: Stir the slurry again just before pouring because cornflour settles. The soup should be silky, not gloopy. -
Make the Egg Ribbons
Reduce the heat to low so the soup is barely simmering. Stir the soup gently in one direction to make a slow swirl, then slowly pour in the beaten egg in a thin stream from a height of about 15 cm. Leave it to set for 20 seconds before stirring.Tip: Do not stir vigorously or the egg will break into small bits. The slow swirl pulls the egg into long, silky ribbons. -
Taste and Adjust
Taste the soup. Add a little more rice vinegar for more tang or a pinch more white pepper for more heat, stirring and tasting each time.Tip: Add the vinegar and pepper gradually and taste as you go. The soup should taste equally hot and sour. -
Finish with Sesame Oil
Turn off the heat. Stir in 1 teaspoon of sesame oil and half of the sliced spring onions.Tip: Sesame oil loses its aroma when cooked for a long time, so it is added at the very end. -
Serve Hot
Ladle into warm bowls, sprinkle with the remaining spring onions and serve immediately.Tip: The soup tastes best fresh, but leftovers keep for 2 days in the refrigerator. Reheat gently and do not boil, so the egg ribbons stay silky.
Nutrition Facts
Servings 4
- Amount Per Serving
- Calories 90kcal
- % Daily Value *
- Total Fat 3.5g6%
- Saturated Fat 1g5%
- Cholesterol 47mg16%
- Sodium 950mg40%
- Potassium 250mg8%
- Total Carbohydrate 8g3%
- Dietary Fiber 1g4%
- Sugars 2g
- Protein 6g12%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily value may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
Note
Add vinegar and pepper at the end to taste. Pour the egg in a thin stream while stirring gently for the best ribbons. For a deeper flavour add a few rehydrated dried shiitake mushrooms and a splash of their soaking water. The soup tastes best fresh, but leftovers keep for 2 days in the refrigerator.Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make hot and sour soup vegan?
Yes. Leave out the egg and use vegetable stock. The soup stays silky thanks to the cornflour.
How do I make it spicier?
Add more white pepper, or finish with a teaspoon of chilli oil. White pepper gives the traditional heat.
How do I get thin egg ribbons?
Pour the beaten egg in a very thin stream while stirring the soup slowly in one direction, with the heat low.