Fancy some hot and sour soup like in your favorite Chinese restaurant? This recipe hits the spot! It consists of Chinese mushrooms, bamboo shoots, tofu and a beaten egg.
Hot and sour soup is very similar to chili; Every family has their own recipe, and every family thinks theirs is the best.
While at the local Chinese market perusing the mushrooms, I asked one of the other shoppers, a tiny and ancient woman half my height, whose etched wrinkles framed a friendly smile, where the wood ear mushrooms were.
“Hot and sour soup,” I replied.
“What? You don’t want these. Here,” she grabbed a bag of dried shiitake, “use these.”
“No! You don’t want that for hot and sour soup!” shouted another, larger lady behind me. She said something in Cantonese to the first lady before grabbing a fresh bunch of enoki mushrooms and tossing them into my basket . “That’s better.”
Soon nine women were arguing in the middle of the aisle. I was stuck in the middle, caught between volleys of angry insults and defenses of cherished family recipes for hot and sour soup, in both Cantonese and English.
People insulted each other’s families, criticized the different provinces of China (everyone agreed that people in the north don’t seem to be able to cook good soup) and changed the contents of my shopping basket to suit my mood.
Eventually, it was decided that black fungus – a potentially unappetizing name for a delicious ingredient – and lily buds were a must. The other mushroom is up to you. Whatever you choose, make sure you are prepared to defend your choice.
What is hot and sour soup?
Hot and sour soup is a popular Chinese menu item and has a long history in traditional Chinese cuisine. As you can see from the story above, there are many “right” ways to do it!
The dominant flavors in the soup are spicy and sour with earthy flavors from the mushrooms. The textures are also a contrast between the smoothness of the tofu and egg and the crispy chewy of the mushrooms.
Check out how to make this hot and sour soup recipe
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Hot and Sour Soup
What are the ingredients for hot and sour soup?
The hardest part about making hot and sour soup is really just gathering all the ingredients. Once you have these, you can have a bowl of restaurant-worthy soup on the table in under an hour!
Here are some of the special ingredients you will need:
- Dried Chinese Black Mushroom
- Dried wood ear, black, cloud, straw, or shiitake mushrooms (or a bunch of fresh enoki mushrooms)
- lily buds
- Can of bamboo shoots
- rice vinegar
- White pepper (do not substitute black pepper)
- tofu
You can sometimes find these ingredients at a well-stocked gourmet grocery store, but your best bet is to head to the nearest Asian supermarket.
BONUS: The mushrooms and lily buds will keep in the pantry for a while. You can have a hot and sour soup whenever you feel like it!
Vegetarian hot and sour soup
My version of the hot and sour soup is made with chicken broth, but you can easily substitute vegetable broth for a vegetarian version.
Save and Freeze
This soup really is best eaten right after making it and doesn’t freeze well. If you have leftovers, gently reheat them on the stovetop over low heat.
More classic Chinese recipes
- Quick and easy egg drop soup
- Chicken Sweet-sour
- Pancakes with shallots
- fried rice with shrimp
From the editors of Simply Recipes
Chinese hot and sour soup
You can use gluten-free soy sauce in this recipe and use vegetable broth to make it vegetarian. However, do not substitute black pepper for the white pepper. The mushrooms and lily buds are available in any Chinese market.
ingredients
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6 dried Chinese black mushroom
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6 dried wood ear, black, cloud, straw or shiitake Mushroomsor a bunch of fresh enoki mushrooms
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5 dried lily buds
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1 (8 ounces) can bamboo shoots
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2 tablespoon red wine vinegar
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1 tablespoon white vinegar or rice vinegar
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1 1/2 tablespoon soy sauce
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1 tablespoon cornstarch
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4 cups chicken soup
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1/2 block firm tofucut into small cubes
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1 big egg
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1 teaspoon sesame oil
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3 spring onionsrolled
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1/4 teaspoon kosher Salt
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1 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground White pepper
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1/4 teaspoon Chili oil (Optional)
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coriander (Optional)
method
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Prepare the dried mushrooms:
Pour boiling water over the mushrooms to cover them and let them soak for 20 minutes, turning the mushrooms occasionally. It may not seem like much, but they will grow quite a bit.
After soaking, remove woody ends with a knife. Cut the mushrooms into strips. Reserve 1/4 cup of the liquid and mix with the cornstarch. (If using fresh enoki mushrooms, set them aside as they don’t need to be soaked.)
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Prepare the lily buds:
Pour boiling water over the lily buds to cover them and let sit for 15 minutes. Cut the buds crosswise and then tear them into a few clumps.
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Prepare remaining ingredients:
Mix together the vinegar and soy sauce and set aside. Open the can of bamboo shoots, drain well and cut the shoots lengthwise into strips.
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build soup:
Pour the chicken broth into a saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Add tofu, mushrooms, water lily buds, bamboo shoots, vinegar mixture and cornstarch mixture. Mix and bring back to a boil. As soon as it comes to a boil, remove from the stove.
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Pour the egg into the broth:
Pour the egg in a slow steam while stirring the soup, allowing it to cook and flow into the soup immediately.
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Add scallions, white pepper, sesame oil, and chili oil (if using):
Add white pepper, vinegar and salt to taste and taste. Add cilantro (if using) for garnish and extra flavor. Serve immediately.
