I love a good Hot & Sour Soup and almost always order it when I get Chinese takeout, so I figured it was time to try making my own. It turned out surprisingly tasty, and if you ask me, it’s even better than many of the restaurant versions. This soup is warming and filling, with just the right balance between sour and spicy.
My recipe stays close to the traditional Chinese version with pork, mushrooms, and lily buds, but I like a soup with a bit more substance, so I’ve added a little extra of everything.
If you want to make it vegetarian, you can skip the pork and use a good vegetable stock instead of chicken. It will still have plenty of flavor from the shiitake and wood ear mushrooms. As it is, this soup makes a great lunch on its own, but with a bowl of rice on the side, it also works as a satisfying dinner.
Keep the screen of your device on
Recipe: Hot and Sour Soup – my take on the Chinese takeout classic
2
servings as a main course, 4 as a starter or a side dishIngredients
4 cups chicken stock
4 dried shiitake mushrooms
1 small handful dried wood ear mushrooms
1 small handful dried lily buds
½ cup bamboo shoots, cut into thin strips
3 ½ oz pressed tofu
¼ cup white vinegar
Oil for frying
3 ½ oz (100g) ground pork
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
2 teaspoons dark soy sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
½ -1 teaspoon white pepper depending on how spicy you want it
1 tablespoon chili oil
1-2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 scallion, finely sliced
Directions
- Preparation
- Soak the shiitake mushrooms, wood ear mushrooms, and lily buds in hot water for 20–30 minutes, or until soft.
- Remove any hard stems from the shiitakes and slice them thinly. Cut the wood ear mushrooms into smaller pieces.
- Cut the tofu in small cubes. If the bamboo shoots aren’t pre-cut, slice them into thin strips.
- Trim off any tough ends of the lily buds and set everything aside.
- Make the soup
- Heat a little oil in a pot and brown the ground pork until it changes color.
- Pour in the chicken stock and bring it to a boil.
- Add the shiitake mushrooms, wood ear mushrooms, bamboo shoots, and lily buds. Let simmer for 5 minutes.
- Stir in the vinegar, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, sesame oil, white pepper, and chili oil. Taste and adjust. The soup should be both tangy and mildly spicy. If you’re using unsalted stock, add salt to taste.
- Dissolve the cornstarch in a bit of cold water and stir it into the soup. Simmer briefly until it becomes glossy and slightly thickened.
- Add the tofu at the end and heat gently for a few minutes without stirring too much, so it doesn’t break apart.
- Taste once more and adjust with a little extra white pepper or vinegar if needed. Sprinkle with sliced scallions just before serving.
This is another one I keep coming back to. The flavor is rich and comforting, with that proper homemade chicken broth taste, and it’s so easy to use. Just stir it into hot water for a quick cup, or use it as a base when you’re cooking. I add it to soups, risottos, and even simple weeknight meals when something feels like it’s missing a bit of depth. It’s one of those small things that makes everything taste better, and I love how versatile it is.
