Hot and Sour Soup

4.59 from 160 votes

This Chinese-style hot and sour soup recipe has a thick, tangy, and spicy broth loaded with tofu, egg ribbons, and mushrooms. This is the BEST and EASIEST hot & sour soup that's a zillion times better than takeout!

Prep Time10

Cook Time5

Total Time15

Course: Soup

Cuisine: Chinese Recipes

Keyword: Hot and Sour Soup

Servings: people

Author: Bee Yinn Low

Ingredients

2 tablespoons cornstarch
3 tablespoons water
1 can chicken broth or vegetable broth 14.5 oz/1 cup/240 ml
1 1/2 cups water
8 oz (230g) soft tofu cut into strips
6 oz (230g) white button mushroom stems trimmed and caps quartered
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 1/2 tablespoons Chinese vinegar apple cider vinegar or rice wine vinegar
1 teaspoon dark soy sauce for coloring purpose
3 dashes ground white pepper or black pepper
1 egg beaten
1 teaspoon chili oil optional
1 tablespoon chopped scallion optional

Instructions

Add the cornstarch and water together, and stir to combine well. Set aside.
Add the chicken or vegetable broth and water to a medium-sized soup pot on medium heat. Bring it to a boil. Add the tofu and white button mushrooms, and cook for 2 minutes.
Add the soy sauce, vinegar, dark soy sauce, and black pepper. Stir to combine well. Add in the cornstarch mixture, and stir continuously to thicken the soup. Turn off the heat.
Swirl the beaten eggs into the soup, count to 10, and then use a pair of chopsticks to stir in a clockwise direction, 3 times. This will form the silken egg threads in the soup that look very pretty. Add the chili oil and chopped scallions, if using.
Dish out and serve immediately.

Video

Notes

DO NOT USE A WHISK to swirl in the beaten egg! This will break the egg into tiny pieces and create a cloudy broth. The key is to cook the eggs after the heat is turned off. Gently swirl the beaten eggs into the soup then stir in a circular motion a few times with a pair of chopsticks for nice, beautiful, and silky egg threads.
Use freshly ground black or white pepper for the best flavor and aroma.
Never add the cornstarch directly into the soup, or you’ll end up with gloopy clumps. Instead, slowly drizzle the slurry into the simmering broth while stirring constantly until the soup is thick enough for your liking.
Cornstarch slurry thickens the soup, but be careful not to use too much of it. You want a soup with a slightly sticky consistency but still runny.
If you like chunks of tofu, add it near the end so it doesn’t crumble.
If you want to add some heat to the soup, you may add some chili oil or a few pinches of dried red chili flakes.

Nutrition