What is hot and sour soup（酸辣汤）?
The name describes the two main flavors in this dish: spicy and sour. Hot and sour soup is a spicy, tangy soup made of fresh vegetables, bamboo shoots, tofu, egg, dried mushrooms, and chicken flavor stock, spiked with soy sauce, Zhejiang vinegar, and sesame oil. The Zhejiang vinegar especially brings out its signature sour taste.
It's one of my favorite soups ever! It is full of delicious typical Asian ingredients with a creamy texture, and it is also a comforting dish that is perfect for chilly weather.
How to make hot and sour soup
To make hot and sour soup, it's essential to choose the right ingredients. You'll want to use high-quality chicken stock. First, Bring the stock to a boil in a large pot.
Next, add the dried lily flowers, wood ears, Shiitake mushrooms, and bamboo shoots, and return the soup to a boil. To get the flavor of this soup just right, you will need bamboo shoots, mushrooms, Zhejiang vinegar, and Sichuan peppercorns. This recipe takes just 15 minutes from prep to completion, and you will have a pot of warming, comforting, utterly delicious soup that tastes just like a bowl straight out of your favorite Chinese restaurant.
An important step that I need to point out is the cornstarch, it gives the soup its signature thickness, you can eliminate it if you like. Any other dried ingredients can be found at almost any Chinese market.
Tips and Tricks
If you're like most people, the thought of making soup from scratch can be a bit overwhelming. After all, there's a lot that can go wrong. Soup can be too thin or watery, too thick or stodgy, and even end up with an unpleasant grainy texture. However, with a few simple tips, you can ensure that your soup turns out just perfect every time.
Avoid using water, as this will dilute the flavor of the soup. Next, be sure to simmer the soup gently - if it boils, the vegetables will become overcooked and mushy. Finally, don't forget to season the soup properly - a little salt and pepper will go a long way in bringing out the flavors of the ingredients.
Hot and Sour soup is thickened with cornstarch at the end of the cooking process, making for a beautifully shiny broth. Don’t forget to add this important step at the end. If you prefer a little heat, you can toss in a few dried pepper flakes or chili oil to your soup.
A little bit of dark soy sauce helps darken the color of the soup, and once you have added the dark soy sauce and the chili paste to the broth, you will see a standard hot-and-sour soup color.
Following these tips, you'll be able to create a delicious hot soup that is sure to please even the most discerning palate.
Conclusion
This soup doesn’t take much time to prepare and is guaranteed to be better than the version served at most Chinese restaurants. Hot and sour soup is a dish that has been around for many years and is still popular in many Chinese restaurants. There are many variations of this recipe, but they all have similar ingredients. Give it a try , and it will surely please everyone at the table!
Hot and Sour Soup
Ingredients
- 8 cups chicken stock
- ½ cup dried wood ear mushrooms soaking in hot water for at least 10 minutes
- ¼ cup bamboo shoots sliced
- 10 dried lily buds (soaked)
- ½ pound half block extra firm tofu, cut into small slices
- 1 small tomato sliced
- 4 tablespoons rice vinegar or more to taste
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- A few drops sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- freshly ground pepper adjust according to your tolerance for spices
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
- 2 eggs lightly beaten
- ½ cup chopped green onions
Instructions
- Bring the chicken stock to a boil in a large pot. Drain the wood ear mushrooms and lily buds, trim off all the hard ends, and cut them into thin slices.
- Once the 8 cups of chicken stock are boiling, add wood ear mushrooms, lily flower, sliced tofu, tomato slices, and bamboo shoots. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 5 min.
- Whisk together the white vinegar, in a separate bowl, combine the seasonings and mix well. When the base comes to a boil, add the seasonings, and simmer over high heat for 2-5 minutes.
- Add the cornstarch and stir constantly until thickened. This should take about 2 minutes.
- Continue to stir and pour in the eggs in a very slow stream. The eggs should form thin, almost transparent ribbons. Remove from the heat and season with the sesame oil and more vinegar or pepper to taste.
- Garnish with the green onion and serve immediately.
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