Hot and Sour Soup is one of my favorite parts of Chinese takeout. Loaded with healthy ingredients, great as a side dish, but even better when you make an entire pot.

Sometimes my craving for Chinese take-out isn’t necessarily for the Orange Chicken or Mongolian Beef. Don’t get me wrong, I do love and appreciate Westernized Chinese food.
What gets me every time is my craving for a hot bowl of Hot and Sour Soup. It is an example of a masterful blend of flavors and textures. Every bite presents a wide array of textures, from crunchy to silky smooth, and flavors from hot and sour, all the way to savory.
Sounds pretty complicated right? Believe me, it is not at all. If anything, this is one of the easier soups to make. Once you have gathered your ingredients, you will be enjoying a pot of Hot and Sour Soup in 20 minutes.
Hot and Sour Soup (suān làtāng) translates directly to “sour spicy soup”. The ‘hot’, or spicy comes from a sprinkling of white pepper and the ‘sour’ comes from the black vinegar.
Two flavors that go so well together. You will find hot and sour flavor galore in Vietnamese and Thai cuisine. Canh Chua Ca is an example of hot and sour.
This simple recipe comes together quickly, almost as fast as it takes to pick up takeout. There are quite a few ingredients, but always feel free to remove or substitute any of these ingredients to your liking. Some require soaking before cooking (shiitake mushrooms, wood ear mushrooms).
Hot and Sour Soup Ingredient Notes
Pork - Though it does not have a lot of flavors alone, it brings a little richness/savoriness to the soup, along with a chewy texture. Any cut of pork you have on hand is ok.
Whenever I make Kalua Pork or Char Siu, I save a little raw pork for this Hot and Sour Soup recipe. Chicken is a good substitute, or you can omit meat altogether.
Dried Shiitake Mushrooms – Another savory ingredient that also adds a little chewiness. Pre-soak it for at least an hour before using. Button mushrooms or baby portobellos are good substitutes.
Soft Tofu – Almost always found in Hot and Sour Soup. An inexpensive way to add low fat protein. I like to use soft tofu, if you have firm tofu, or even pressed bean curd, that would work just fine.
Dried Black Wood Ear Mushrooms – Another textural ingredient that adds little crunch to every bite.
Eggs - The signature strips of silken eggs swimming in the soup are a must have.
Carrots - For texture, color, and vitamins (hey, why not?). I’m sure you have some in your fridge.
Soup Base Ingredients
For the soup base, there are again quite a few ingredients. Try to use as many of these as you can, each ingredient plays a small but important part to this soup.
The primary liquid I use is unsalted chicken stock. Any type you have on hand, even boxed stock will work. You will need to adjust the amount of salt you add later depending on how much is already in your stock.
Ingredients
- ¼ lb pork, julienned
- 2 pieces dried shiitake mushroom, soaked in hot water for at least 1 hour, then sliced
- 2 pieces dried black fungus, soaked in hot water for at least 1 hour
- 8 oz soft tofu, cut into long strips
- 2 eggs, beatened
- 1 medium carrot, juliened
SOUP BASE
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 3 tablespoon black vinegar
- 2 teaspoon white pepper powder
- 1.5 tablespoon light soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon ginger, minced
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
CORNSTARCH SLURRY
- 2 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 tablespoon cold water
Instructions
- Put the chicken stock, ginger, shiitake mushrooms, fungus and carrots in a large pot an bring to a boil.
- Once it has come a rolling boil, add the julienned pork. Stir it well, be sure to break up the pork so they are not stuck together.
- When the pork it cooked through (it doesn't take long, 10-20 seconds), add the tofu and allow it come back to a boil.
- Add the light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, sugar and salt. Bring back to a rolling boil.
- Slowly add about ¼ cornstarch mixture the stir constantly until the soup slightly thickens. Repeat until the soup reaches the desired thickness.
- Slowly pour in the beaten eggs in a circular motion, creating a swirl pattern in the soup.
- Wait a few seconds for the egg to slightly solidify, then give the soup a light stir.
- When the egg has solidified, add the black vinegar and stir it in well.
- Before serving, add a few drop of sesame oil and a sprinkle of white pepper to each bowl. Top with sliced green onions and cilantro.
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