Easy Hot and Sour Soup

Try this simple restaurant-style hot and sour soup with deep savory and sour flavors filled with mushrooms, tofu and silky egg ribbons.

Chinese hot and sour soup is a huge weakness of mine and my regular go-to because of the vast myriad of flavors tucked away in its thick broth. You have the chili-spiced broth with its flavor deepened by an intensely sour taste that is really hard to forget but so easy to dive into.

I’ve had a few variations of the hot and sour soup at Chinese buffets but for some reason, they are just not as sour as they’re supposed to be. Not enough to justify the ‘sour’ part in its name anyway. So this easy hot and sour soup recipe emphasizes on the sour and hot part of the soup to give it that intense, unforgettable flavor.

As mentioned, here’s my take, catered to how sour I prefer it. Feel free to add the vinegar in gradual increments to suit your taste as you may not like it as sour as mine. The soup should have a thick consistency with mushrooms and tofu adding texture and egg strands beautifully wrapping up the whole thing.

It may not be as authentic as you’d like. There are many recipes for that on the internet. I just wanted a simple recipe to replicate my favorite soup at home. With that in mind, I used a pre-made chili sauce or Sriracha sauce here but for a more authentic take, you can use Asian dried chilies.

If you ask me, the beauty of this soup is in its silky egg strands. It takes time and practice to perfect this without getting a semi-scrambled egg mess instead but it’s worth it. If you need some pointers on how to go about making egg strands, hop over to my egg drop soup recipe as I’ve explained it there in some detail.

Easy Hot and Sour Soup

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• Author: The Cooking Jar
• Total Time: 20 minutes
• Yield: 8 1x

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Description

Try this simple restaurant-style hot and sour soup with deep savory and sour flavors filled with mushrooms, tofu and silky egg ribbons.

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Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

• 1/2 cup button mushrooms, cut into matchsticks
• 1/2 cup tofu, cut into matchsticks
• 8 cups chicken stock
• 1/2 teaspoon ginger, minced
• 4 teaspoons soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons chili sauce/Sriracha sauce
• 3 teaspoons white vinegar
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 egg, beaten
• 4 tablespoons cornstarch mixed with 8 tablespoons cold water
• 2 green onions, sliced

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Instructions

1. Combine the chicken stock, ginger, soy sauce and chili paste in a large pot and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
2. Slow stir in the cornstarch slurry and simmer until the soup thickens.
3. Add mushrooms, tofu, vinegar and sesame oil and stir gently, simmering for 3 minutes.
4. Remove from heat and slowly drizzle in egg mixture, constantly stirring with a fork.
5. Dish and serve hot.

• Prep Time: 5 mins
• Cook Time: 15 mins