Authentic Hot & Sour Soup

Hot & Sour Soup

Hot & sour soup is one of my favourite soup. This is a very easy and simple soup. It is a savoury, spicy and tangy Chinese soup known for its contrasting flavours and textures, typically featuring a thickened broth with ingredients like mushrooms, tofu, bamboo shoots, and egg ribbons seasoned with white pepper for heat and vinegar for sourness.
Follow my ingredients quantity and directions, you definitely get the perfect taste.

Ingredients for Hot & Sour Soup

Base

Chicken broth – 4 cups
Water – 1 cup
Mushroom – 1 cup thinly sliced
Tofu – 200g (sliced)

Seasoning

Soya sauce – 2 to 3 tbs
White Vinegar or rice vinegar – 1 tbs
Black pepper – 1 tsp
Red chilli flakes – 1 tsp
Salt as needed

Thickening

Corn starch – 2 tbs
Water – 3 tbs

Egg Ribbons

Egg – 1
Salt as needed

Tempering

Sesame oil – 1 tbs
Ginger – 1 tbs chopped
Garlic – 1 tbs chopped

Garnish

Green Onion – one bunch

Directions

Heat oil and add chopped ginger and garlic in a pan.
Saute them until the raw smell goes away.
Now add the sliced mushrooms and salt.
Saute them until the colour changes.
Now pour the broth and water.
Add the seasoning ingredients.
Mix water and cornstarch in a bowl.
Pour this mixture little by little into the soup.
Add the sliced tofu and cover the soup in medium flame for 5-10 minutes or until the soup thickens.

Egg Ribbons

Change the flame to low.
Beat egg, salt and water in a bowl.
Let’s wait for the soup calm down from boiling heat.
If the soup is in boiling heat, egg ribbons won’t occur.
Keep a ladle in one hand for stirring the soup while pouring the beaten egg into the soup.
Slowly drizzle the beaten egg as a thin stream, while stirring the soup in clockwise directions at the same time with other hand.
Stop stirring and let it set for 10 seconds.
Switch off the flame now.
Sprinkle the chopped green onions.
Hot and sour soup ready.
Serve hot with fried rice and chilli garlic tofu.