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My hot and sour soup recipe combines tender mushrooms, smoked tofu, and silky eggs in an umami-forward, hearty Asian broth. It’s easy, and my family swears it’s restaurant-worthy!
Need more comforting soup recipes? Try my pumpkin curry soup, pickle soup, or cream of celery soup next.
Table of Contents
My family loves going out for Chinese food, especially since a new Chinese restaurant just opened up in our neighborhood. Their soup is SO good that I knew I had to try making it home.
While nothing beats an authentic Chinese restaurant, even my family must admit that my homemade soup is the best they’ve ever had.
Why I love this recipe
- Deceptively easy. The prep time is minimal, and you only need one pot plus a few bowls to rehydrate the mushrooms.
- Nutritious. The mushrooms add fiber, the tofu and eggs and protein, and there’s even added collagen from the chicken broth.
- Mostly shelf-stable ingredients. The cool part about this recipe is that almost all of the ingredients are either canned or dried, meaning you can whip this up whenever you want!
Key Ingredients
- Dried mushrooms. I use dried wood ears and shiitake mushrooms. On their own, they don’t have tons of flavor, but they’ll absorb the flavor of the broth and add a meaty texture and earthiness.
- Chicken broth. I prefer to use low-sodium stock, so I know exactly how much salt is going in the soup.
- Smoked tofu. I’m able to find pre-baked, smoked, extra firm tofu at my grocery store, but if you can’t find it, marinade plain tofu in my tofu marinade and add ½ teaspoon of smoke flavor.
- Bamboo shoots. Most mainstream grocery stores stock this in the Asian food aisle or any Asian grocery store.
- Dark and light soy sauce. Dark soy sauce enhances the umami and rich color, while light soy sauce adds saltiness. You can also use only regular soy sauce or low-sodium soy sauce if needed.
- Rice vinegar. To season the soup base. Apple cider vinegar or white vinegar also works.
- Sesame oil. For a nutty element.
- Green onion. It adds a fresh flavor and some crunch to contrast the softer textures.
- Sugar. Just enough to balance the rich, tangy, and spicy flavors.
- Crushed red chili peppers. For extra heat. Adjust as needed.
- Pepper. I typically use black pepper, but if i have white pepper on hand, I prefer that.
- Cornstarch. Combining cornstarch with water creates a thickening agent for the soup known as a cornstarch slurry.
- Large eggs. I recommend using fresh egg if possible. The eggs are those gorgeous whisps in the soup.
- Coriander. For garnish.
How to make hot and sour soup
I’ve included step-by-step photos below to make this recipe easy to follow at home. For the full printable recipe instructions and ingredient quantities, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Rehydrate the mushrooms. Soak the mushrooms in boiling water. After 30 minutes, slice the shiitake mushrooms (keep the water) and chop the wood ear mushrooms (discard the water).
Simmer. Add the broth and shiitake water to a pot and simmer. Add the mushrooms, bamboo, and tofu, followed by the soy sauce, vinegar, oil, scallion, sugar, chili, and pepper.
Stir in the cornstarch slurry. Combine cornstarch and cold water and quickly stir into the soup mixture.
Step 4- Add egg. Once thickened, quickly add the whisked egg while stirring in a circular motion.
Arman’s recipe tips
- Have fresh shiitake mushrooms? Skip the soaking step, but brush dirt off the mushrooms before using.
- Need help with whisking the egg? Check out my egg drop soup recipe for more tips on getting the silky egg ribbons just right!
- Taste and adjust the flavor. Use extra crushed red pepper for more spice, or give it a stronger sour flavor with extra rice vinegar.
Variations
- Hot and sour chicken soup. Poach a chicken breast in the simmering chicken mushroom stock. Once it’s cooked through, shred or chop the chicken before returning it to the pot along with the mushrooms, tofu, and bamboo shoots.
- More meaty mix-ins. Try stirring in cooked shrimp or thin slices of tender beef or pork at the end.
- Make it vegetarian. Simply swap vegetable broth or vegan mushroom broth for the chicken stock.
- Add veggies. For extra flavor, add carrot strips, fresh ginger, or stir in fresh spinach right before serving.
Frequently asked questions
If prepared properly, hot and sour is thick with a rich and glossy mouthfeel. However, it shouldn’t be so thick that it’s gooey or gelatinous.
Yes! This soup is widely loved for its health benefits. It has protein and fiber, as well as essential nutrients from the wild mushrooms.
Hot And Sour Soup
Video
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon wood ear mushrooms dried
- 1/4 cup shiitake mushrooms dried
- 7 cups chicken broth
- 7 ounces smoked tofu sliced into strips
- 4 ounces bamboo shoots cut into strips
- 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
- 1/4 cup rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 scallion sliced
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 large egg lightly whisked
Instructions
- In separate bowls, soak the dried mushrooms with one cup of boiling water each. Let it sit for at least 30 minutes.
- Thinly slice the shiitake mushrooms, keeping the water, then roughly chop the wood ear mushrooms, discarding that water.
- Add the chicken broth to a small saucepan, along with the water from the shiitake mushrooms. Add mushrooms, bamboo, and tofu to the soup and let it simmer for several minutes. Pour in both soy sauces, vinegar, sesame oil, scallion, sugar, chili pepper, and black pepper.
- Combine the cornstarch and water in a small bowl. Make a whirlpool with a soup ladle and drizzle the cornstarch mixture into the soup, stirring constantly.
- Once the soup is thicker, repeat the process with a soup ladle stirring the soup and adding the whisked egg.
- Serve the soup garnished with some fresh coriander and scallions.
Notes
Nutrition
More Asian fakeout recipes
- Pad see ew
- Chinese eggplant
- Summer rolls
- Crab rangoon
- Or any of these Asian recipes
