The Best Hot & Sour Soup

Submitted by KLBoyle

"I love hot & sour soup and have spent a lot of time perfecting it. This is the absolute best! You can adjust the chile paste to make it as spicy as you like."

 

• Ready In: 30mins
• Ingredients: 18
• Serves: 6-8

ingredients

• 2 quarts chicken stock
• 2 ounces dried mushrooms
• 1 inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated
• 1 tablespoon red chili paste
• 1⁄2 cup canned bamboo shoot
• 1⁄2 cup canned water chestnut, chopped
• 1⁄2 lb firm tofu, drained and sliced into strips
• 1⁄4 lb pork, sliced thin
• 1⁄4 cup soy sauce
• 1⁄4 cup rice vinegar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 1⁄2 teaspoon sugar
• 4 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1⁄4 cup water
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 3 tablespoons oil
• green onion, chopped (to garnish)

directions

1. Reconstitute mushrooms in water according to package directions.
2. Heat oil in wok or large pot.
3. Add ginger, chile paste and pork, cook for about two minute.
4. Add bamboo shoots, water chestnuts and mushrooms, cook for 1 minute.
5. In a bowl, combine vinegar, soy sauce, salt, pepper and sugar and
6. pour into wok.
7. Add chicken stock, bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minute.
8. Add tofu and cook another 3-5 minute.
9. Mix cornstarch and water and add to soup and cook until thickened.
10. Stir soup in one direction to get current going then add beaten egg,
11. it will look feathery.
12. Garnish soup with green onion and serve.

Reviews

[Magic Jeff]

I also have experimented with a number of recipes. This one is tops. But NO hot & sour is complete without a teaspoon or two of sesame oil toward the end. You can use 3-4 fresh mushrooms instead of dried and chicken instead of pork. The recipe calls for "pepper"-- I used white pepper. Cube the tofu. Don't cut in strips. Holds up better. If you're going to serve the dish later, hold off on the egg and onions until you're ready reheat and serve.

 

[adopt a greyhound]

I made this last night and it was so delicious! I didn't have water chestnuts so added more bamboo shoots. I used less chicken stock, fresh mushrooms but everything else as listed. DH and I thought it was great! Do try this recipe.

 

[appleydapply]

We enjoyed this soup for dinner tonight. A couple of things I'd change - there were too many dried mushrooms - 2 oz is about 4 cups dried, so I stopped at 3 cups and it still seemed like a lot; we'd have preferred some fresh mushrooms in it, too. And the ginger flavor was a little strong. Otherwise, it was a great soup; very spicy & yummy!

 

[Maito]

This was delicious! I was surprised that it really did have the body and taste of hot and sour soup. I used dried shiitake mushrooms, omitted the salt, pork and egg, and used a whole package of tofu (for half the recipe). Yummy!