Hot and sour soup, a classic Sichuan dish, tantalizes taste buds with its spicy, sour, and savory flavors. This well-known soup finds its roots in China, where it is often served as an appetizer or light meal. The complexity of flavors in hot and sour soup comes from a harmonious blend of ingredients, including aromatic ginger, garlic, and scallions; a combination of soy sauce, Chinese rice vinegar, and sesame oil for a savory and tangy taste; wood ear mushrooms and bamboo shoots for texture; and the addition of tofu or chicken for substance. The use of white pepper lends a distinctive warmth to the soup, while the cornstarch slurry thickens it to a luscious consistency. This recipe provides step-by-step instructions for creating an authentic and delicious homemade hot and sour soup, along with variations for vegetarians and those who prefer a milder taste.
Here are our top 4 tried and tested recipes!
HOMEMADE HOT AND SOUR SOUP
Very easy-to-make hot and sour soup.
Provided by Kevin
Categories Side Dish
Time 40m
Yield 4
Number Of Ingredients 15
Steps:
- Bring chicken broth to a simmer in a 2-quart saucepan. Add mushrooms, chicken, soy sauce, chile paste, and garlic. Simmer for 5 minutes. Add tofu, bamboo shoots, vinegar, and white pepper. Simmer for 5 minutes more.
- Combine water and cornstarch in a cup; stir until smooth. Add mixture to the soup and stir well. Let simmer until soup thickens, about 5 minutes more.
- Beat egg in a cup and slowly pour, in a fine stream, into the soup. Stir well and heat through for 30 seconds. Mix in green onions and sesame oil. Remove from heat; serve hot.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 122.2 calories, Carbohydrate 10.3 g, Cholesterol 59.4 mg, Fat 5.8 g, Fiber 0.7 g, Protein 8.2 g, SaturatedFat 1.3 g, Sodium 1900.8 mg, Sugar 2.9 g
HOT AND SOUR SOUP
Make Chinese at home with Tyler Florence's Hot and Sour Soup recipe from Food Network à mushrooms, ginger and chile paste add flavor and heat.
Provided by Tyler Florence
Categories appetizer
Time 2h20m
Yield 4 to 6 servings
Number Of Ingredients 23
Steps:
- Put the wood ears in a small bowl and cover with boiling water. Let stand for 30 minutes to reconstitute. Drain and rinse the wood ears; discard any hard clusters in the centers.
- Heat the oil in a wok or large pot over medium-high flame. Add the ginger, chili paste, wood ears, bamboo shoots, and pork; cook and stir for 1 minute to infuse the flavor. Combine the soy sauce, vinegar, salt, pepper, and sugar in a small bowl, pour it into the wok and toss everything together - it should smell really fragrant. Pour in the Chinese Chicken Stock, bring the soup to a boil, and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the tofu and cook for 3 minutes.
- Dissolve the cornstarch in the water and stir until smooth. Mix the slurry into the soup and continue to simmer until the soup thickens. Remove the soup from the heat and stir in 1 direction to get a current going, then stop stirring. Slowly pour in the beaten eggs in a steady stream and watch it spin around and feather in the broth (it should be cooked almost immediately.) Garnish the hot and sour soup with chopped green onions and cilantro before serving.
- Put the chicken in a large stockpot and place over medium heat. Toss in the green onions, garlic, ginger, onion, and peppercorns. Pour about 3 quarts of cold water into the pot to cover the chicken by 1-inch. Simmer gently for 1 hour, uncovered, skimming off the foam on the surface periodically.
- Carefully remove the chicken from the pot and pass the stock through a strainer lined with cheesecloth to remove the solids and excess fat. Cool the chicken stock to room temperature before storing in the refrigerator, or chill it down over ice first.
- Yield: About 2 quarts
CHEF JOHN'S HOT AND SOUR SOUP
I'm very excited to be sharing what is probably the most delicious soup I still haven't done a video for--unless I have and forgot. Yes, it's hot, and yes, it's sour, but it's also so much more, and other than a little bit of slicing and dicing, this is relatively fast and simple to make. This is almost always served as an appetizer in a Chinese restaurant, but if you added some pork to this, or some little fun-sized meatballs, it would make a fantastic meal. Serve with extra sliced green onions on top.
Provided by Chef John
Time 1h5m
Yield 4
Number Of Ingredients 16
Steps:
- Soak dried shiitake mushrooms in hot water, stirring occasionally, until soft, 15 to 20 minutes. Drain well and slice into thin strips.
- Whisk soy sauce, vinegar, ground white pepper, and sesame oil together in a small bowl for hot and sour mixture; set aside until needed.
- Whisk cornstarch and water together in another small bowl for slurry; set aside until needed.
- Heat vegetable oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add ginger, sliced green onions, and shiitake mushrooms. Cook, stirring, for about 2 minutes. Pour in chicken broth and bring up to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Stir in carrot, red pepper, bamboo shoots, tofu, and the hot and sour mixture. Let simmer for 5 minutes.
- Raise heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. Stir the soup slowly with a spoon while transferring in the beaten eggs in a steady stream to create thin ribbons. Keep stirring until the soup comes back to a boil. Reduce heat to medium.
- Stir the cornstarch slurry to make sure it's well blended, then slowly drizzle it into the soup while stirring constantly. Soup should thicken up within 1 to 2 minutes. Turn off heat, taste for seasoning, and serve.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 192.5 calories, Carbohydrate 18.7 g, Cholesterol 99.1 mg, Fat 8.8 g, Fiber 1.8 g, Protein 11 g, SaturatedFat 1.6 g, Sodium 1979.3 mg, Sugar 6.1 g
HOT AND SOUR SOUP
We've tried several recipes for this hot and sour soup and couldn't find one that resembled the one we liked at a restaurant. So, I made my own and I must say it is on par with what you'll find when dining out. Regular or hot chili sauce can be used, according to taste. -Vera Leitow, Mancelona, Michigan
Provided by Taste of Home
Categories Lunch
Time 45m
Yield 6 servings (about 2 quarts).
Number Of Ingredients 15
Steps:
- In a Dutch oven, brown pork in oil until no longer pink; remove meat and keep warm. Add mushrooms; saute until tender. Set aside and keep warm. , Add the broth, soy sauce, chili garlic sauce and pepper to the pan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Return the meat and mushrooms to the pan. Stir in the tofu, bamboo shoots, water chestnuts and vinegar. Simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes., In a small bowl, combine cornstarch and water until smooth; gradually stir into soup. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from the heat; stir in sesame oil. Garnish servings with onions.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 240 calories, Fat 10g fat (2g saturated fat), Cholesterol 37mg cholesterol, Sodium 1779mg sodium, Carbohydrate 18g carbohydrate (4g sugars, Fiber 2g fiber), Protein 21g protein.
Tips:
- Use a variety of mushrooms for a more complex flavor.
- Soak the wood ear mushrooms in hot water for at least 30 minutes before using.
- Use a combination of light and dark soy sauce for a richer flavor.
- Add the tofu and eggs at the end of cooking to prevent them from overcooking.
- Serve the soup immediately, garnished with green onions, cilantro, and chili oil.
Conclusion:
This hot and sour soup is a classic Chinese dish that is both delicious and easy to make. With its spicy, sour, and savory flavors, it is a perfect way to warm up on a cold day. The addition of wood ear mushrooms gives the soup a unique texture and flavor, and the tofu and eggs add protein and heartiness. Whether you are a fan of Chinese food or just looking for a new soup recipe to try, this hot and sour soup is sure to please.
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