Hot and Sour Soup. Hot and sour soup is a variety of soups from several Asian culinary traditions. In all cases, the soup contains ingredients to make it both spicy and sour. Soup preparation may use chicken or pork broth, or may be meat-free.

The traditional hot and sour soup recipe call for Chinese dry shiitake mushroom. Soak the mushrooms in water until it is fully hydrated and become very soft and easy to cut. The time required varies from an hour to two or three hours, as it depends on the thickness of the mushrooms. You can cook Hot and Sour Soup using 19 ingredients and 11 steps. Here is how you achieve it.

Ingredients of Hot and Sour Soup

1. It's 4 of Dried Chinese fungi (1 oz) wood ears or cloud ears (in produce dept.).
2. You need 2 Tbsp of canola oil.
3. Prepare 1 of ” piece of ginger, peeled ad grated.
4. You need 2-3 Tbsp of red chili paste, sambal oelek.
5. You need 8 oz. of button mushrooms, cleaned and sliced.
6. You need 1 of small can water chestnuts, sliced and drained.
7. It's 1/2 cup of canned bamboo shoots, drained.
8. It's 1/4 lb. of shredded pork or chicken.
9. It's 1/2 cup of soy sauce.
10. You need 1/2 cup of rice wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar.
11. Prepare 1 tsp of salt.
12. Prepare 1/2 tsp of red pepper flakes.
13. You need 1 tsp of ground white pepper.
14. Prepare Pinch of sugar.
15. It's 2 quarts of chicken stock, hot.
16. Prepare 1 of square firm tofu, drained as cut into 1/4” strips.
17. Prepare 3 Tbsp of cornstarch w/ 1/4 cup water.
18. Prepare 1 of large egg beaten.
19. It's of Chopped green onion and cilantro for garnish.

Hot and sour soup can be found on any takeout menu or Chinese buffet line in the US. It ranges in quality and flavor from awesomely delicious to lukewarm, tasteless, and gloopy. There was a time when I never thought to make it myself and resigned myself to the luck of the draw when it came to ordering it. Savoury, spicy, sour and hearty, Hot and Sour Soup is completely addictive!

Hot and Sour Soup instructions

1. In a small bowl add the dried mushrooms and pour boiling water over them let sit at least 15-29 minutes to rehydrate. Drain and cut into strips.
2. In large pot put chicken stock to heat up..
3. Heat wok or large skillet with sides. Add the oil to heat on medium high..
4. To the hot oil add the finger, chili paste, wood ears, button mushrooms, water chestnuts, bamboo shoots and meat. Cook for 1 minute to infuse flavors..
5. Next combine soy sauce, vinegars, salt, red pepper flakes, white pepper and sugar. Pour into pan and stir everything together. Will smell amazing!.
6. Add in the hot chicken stock, bring to boil and then simmer for 10 minutes..
7. Add in tofu and cook for 3 minutes m.
8. Combine cornstarch and water to make a slurry. Add to soup and simmer until it thickens..
9. Remove pot from heat and with a spoon swirl soup in 1 direction and add in beaten egg which should cook immediately. Stir to blend egg..
10. Garnishes.
11. Serve soup topped with garnish..

This recipe stacks up to the best Chinese restaurants. Hot and Sour soup is a Chinese soup that's savoury, spicy and tangy. The broth is thickened and it's filled with mushrooms, tofu, bamboo shoots and silky egg ribbons. Hot and sour soup (Suan La Tang) is a common dish popular in China especially in cold winter. It is firstly invented for poor people who need to warm their body up.