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Hot and Sour Soup (Easy & Authentic Chinese Recipe)

Hot and Sour Soup (Easy & Authentic Chinese Recipe)

This authentic Hot and Sour Soup features a glossy broth that’s incredibly savory, tangy, and as spicy as you want it to be. Filled with tender poached chicken, mushrooms, tofu, bamboo shoots, and classic egg ribbons, it is a firm Chinese restaurant favorite you can easily make at home!
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Mushroom Soaking Time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings: 6
Course: Appetizer, Soup
Cuisine: Chinese
Calories: 216
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

The Base & Mix-Ins

  • 12 dried shiitake mushrooms or 150g/5oz fresh
  • ½ cup wood ear mushrooms chopped into 1.5cm (⅗-inch) pieces (soak with shiitakes if dried)
  • 220 g 7oz chicken breast
  • 125 g 4oz firm tofu (about 1 cup), cut into 1.2cm (½-inch) cubes
  • ¼ cup bamboo shoots thinly sliced
  • 2 large eggs whisked
  • 1 shallot or scallion finely sliced (for garnish)

The Hot & Sour Broth

  • 6 cups 1.5L chicken or vegetable stock/broth, low sodium
  • 1 teaspoon ginger finely grated
  • 1 teaspoon dried chili / red pepper flakes adjust spice to taste
  • 2 teaspoons dark soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
  • ½ teaspoon white pepper can sub black, but white is authentic
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • ¼ cup 65 ml white vinegar (adjust to taste)
  • Salt to taste

The Slurry (Thickener)

  • ¼ cup 40g cornstarch / cornflour
  • ¼ cup 125 ml cold water

Equipment

  • Large soup pot or Dutch oven
  • Small bowls (for slurry and eggs)
  • Whisk and ladle
  • Cutting board and chef's knife

Method
 

  1. . Rehydrate the Mushrooms

    Place the dried shiitake mushrooms (and dried wood ear mushrooms, if using) in a heatproof bowl. Cover with plenty of boiling water. Let them stand for 20 to 30 minutes until completely soft. Drain, discard the tough stems, and slice thinly.

    2. Poach the Chicken

    Place the chicken stock, grated ginger, dark and light soy sauces, chili flakes, sugar, white pepper, and sesame oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Once the broth begins to simmer, carefully add the whole chicken breast. Cover the pot, reduce the heat to medium-low, and let it gently simmer for 10 minutes.

    3. Shred the Chicken

    Remove the cooked chicken breast from the pot and transfer it to a cutting board. Use two forks to shred the chicken into bite-sized pieces.

    4. Simmer the Soup

    Return the shredded chicken to the pot. Add the white vinegar, sliced shiitake mushrooms, wood ear mushrooms, sliced bamboo shoots, and cubed firm tofu. Stir gently, and allow the soup to simmer for 10 minutes to let the flavors meld.

    5. Thicken the Broth

    In a small bowl, mix the cornstarch and cold water until completely smooth. While stirring the soup continuously at a medium pace, slowly pour in the cornstarch slurry. (This ensures no gelatinous lumps form!)

    6. Create Egg Ribbons

    Once the soup returns to a simmer and thickens slightly, use your ladle to stir the soup in a steady, slow circle. While the soup is moving, slowly pour the whisked eggs into the pot in a very thin stream. Let it sit for just a few seconds so the egg cooks into beautiful, wispy ribbons.

    7. Taste and Serve

    Taste the broth. Add a pinch of salt if desired, extra white vinegar for more sourness, or extra chili flakes for more heat. Ladle into bowls, top with the finely sliced scallions, and serve immediately!

Notes

  • Tofu: Must be firm so it doesn't disintegrate when the soup is stirred. If you can only find soft or silken tofu, stir it in very gently right at the very end of the cooking process.
  • Make It Meat-Free: Simply skip the chicken breast and use vegetable stock. Add extra tofu or mushrooms to bulk it up.
  • Storage: Leftovers keep perfectly in the fridge for up to 5 days. If freezing, the cornstarch will lose its thickening power, so you will need to add a fresh cornstarch/water slurry when reheating.
    To get perfect egg ribbons instead of scrambled chunks, make sure you are stirring the thickened soup in a slow circle while pouring the beaten eggs in a very thin, steady stream!