Hot and Sour Soup
Hot and Sour Soup is so easy to make and always tastes better than take-out! Shiitake mushrooms, bamboo shoots and tofu are the stars of the show in this Chinese soup recipe. The broth is what really makes it memorable with ingredients like soy sauce, chili garlic sauce and rice wine vinegar that create the best flavors!
Hot and Sour Soup
There’s a very long list of soup recipes I’m in love with. However… I don’t know how many of them can compare to a good, warm bowl of hot and sour soup. It’s salty in the very best way and features all vegetarian ingredients! Well, it’s made with chicken broth but you can easily swap that with vegetarian broth if you need to. It’s still a great meal for meatless Monday!
Tender bites of silky tofu combine wonderfully with chewy shiitake mushrooms and lots of bamboo shoots. It’s one of my favorite combinations of varying textures! With that being said, the very best part of all (in my opinion) is the broth that holds it all together. It’s chicken broth, but it’s all dressed up with bold ingredients like soy sauce, chili garlic sauce, sugar and more.
Next time you want a take-out night right at home without having to spend a bunch of money on a food delivery app, this is a recipe to consider! It’s so easy to make in just one pot and it comes together pretty quickly. Serve it with some Mongolian Beef, Chicken Shop Suey or Hunan Shrimp to really enjoy the full take-out experience.
How to Make Hot and Sour Soup
Chinese hot and sour soup is easy to make in one pot! Keep on scrolling down to the recipe card for more information about ingredients and instructions.
- Reconstitute the mushrooms. Put the dried mushrooms in a small bowl. Cover them with boiling water. Let it stand for about 30 minutes until reconstituted. Remove the mushrooms with a slotted spoon and save the water for later.
- Sauté the veggies. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms, bamboo shoots, ginger and garlic. Cook for just 1 minute or until fragrant.
- Make it flavorful. In a separate bowl, whisk together vinegar, soy sauce, chili garlic sauce and sugar. Pour this all over the veggies and stir to combine.
- Boil. Pour in the chicken stock and mushroom water. Bring to a boil and let simmer for about 10 minutes.
- Add tofu. Stir in the tofu and cook for just 3 more minutes.
- Thicken the broth. In a separate bowl, mix together cornstarch and chicken stock until smooth. Stir the slurry into the soup until smooth. Cook until the soup begins to thicken.
- Add eggs. Take the soup pot off the heat. Stir in a circular motion and stream in the eggs. The goal is to get the eggs long and stringy like egg drop soup.
Is hot and sour soup vegetarian?
Almost! Tofu serves as the protein in this soup, but the broth is made with chicken broth. Swap it for vegetarian broth for a vegetarian meal.
Is hot and sour soup gluten free?
The only ingredient listed that contains gluten is the soy sauce, so just swap that with tamari or coconut aminos to avoid that. Everything else listed should be naturally gluten free, but always check your ingredient labels just in case.
How To Freeze Hot and Sour Soup
Just note that the tofu will get limper and slightly more mushy once it’s been cooked and frozen.
Let hot and sour soup fully cool to room temperature prior to storing in a freezer safe container for up to 3 months. Don’t forget to date and label! Let it defrost in the fridge prior to reheating.
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Get the Recipe: Hot and Sour Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups hot water
- 4 ounces dried shiitake mushrooms
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 8 ounces fresh shiitake mushrooms or baby Bella mushrooms, thinly sliced.
- 8 ounce can bamboo shoots, drained
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1/3 cup rice wine vinegar
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon chili garlic sauce
- 6 cups chicken stock
- 1/4 teaspoon sugar
- 2 large eggs, whisked
- 8 ounces firm tofu, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch mixed with 1/4 cup chicken stock
- Chopped green onions
- Chopped Cilantro
Equipment
Instructions
- Put the dried mushrooms in a small bowl and cover with the boiling water. Allow to stand for 30 minutes until reconstituted. Remove with a slotted spoon and reserve the water.
- Heat the olive oil in a large dutch oven over medium high heat.
- Add the mushrooms, bamboo shoots, ginger and garlic. Cook for 1 minute until beginning to smell fragrant.
- In a small bowl, combine the vinegar, soy sauce, chili garlic sauce and sugar.
- Pour the mixture over the mushrooms and toss to combine.
- Add the chicken stock and reserved mushroom water. Bring the soup to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Stir in the tofu and cook for three minutes longer.
- Dissolve the cornstarch in the chicken stock and stir until smooth.
- Stir the slurry into the soup and continue to cook until the soup begins to thicken.
- Remove the soup from the heat and stir it in a circular motion before streaming in the eggs. The eggs should become long and stringy like Egg Drop Soup.
- Serve the soup with the green onions and cilantro.