Hot and Sour Soup

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Growing up, my family went out for dinner every Sunday night and a couple of Chinese restaurants were on the rotation. Chi Mer in NYC’s Chinatown was a favorite. I’ll never forget the night that my father bet my 6 year old(?) 8 year old(?) brother $1 that he couldn’t eat a small red Szechuan pepper…well, that night ended abruptly! But before the “pepper incident” my family undoubtably started our meal the same way we started every Chinese meal, with Hot and Sour Soup all around.

I grew up loving that combination of flavors, the hot never too hot and the sour never too sour. It was a Goldilocks soup. Just right. This recipe for Hot and Sour Soup, sent to me by my neighbor/surrogate mom Adele, hits the mark. It’s all the things without being too much of any (although I admit to shaking in some red pepper flakes at the end because I like the burn) while being super quick and easy. It’s the perfect soup for a fall day. Enjoy!

Hot and Sour Soup
Print Recipe

Hot and Sour Soup

Servings: 6

Ingredients

  • 4 Tbls corn starch
  • 6 Tbls water
  • 4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
  • 3 cups water
  • 1 block soft tofu cut into strips
  • 8 oz white button mushrooms thinly sliced
  • 6 Tbls soy sauce
  • 6 Tbls Chinese vinegar, apple cider vinegar or rice wine vinegar
  • 2 tsp dark soy sauce (for coloring purpose)
  • 6 dashes ground white pepper or black pepper
  • 2 eggs beaten
  • 2 Tbls chopped scallions
  • 2 tsp chili oil optional
  • pinch red pepper flakes optional

Instructions

  • Whisk to combine the corn starch and water. Set aside.
  • Add broth and water to a large pot over medium heat. Bring to a boil. Add tofu and mushrooms, cook for 2 minutes.
  • Add soy sauce, vinegar, dark soy sauce, and pepper. Stir to combine. Add the corn starch mixture, stir continuously for several minutes to thicken the soup. Turn off the heat.
  • Swirl the beaten eggs into the soup. Count to 10, and then using a pair of chopsticks, stir 3 times in a clockwise direction. This will form silken egg threads in the soup.
  • Add the scallions, chili oil and red pepper flakes, if using (taste your soup to determine the heat level that's right for you). Serve immediately or reheat gently before serving.