Hot and Sour Soup Recipe

Today’s hot and sour soup recipe will make your evenings super cozy.

Any soup is comforting in itself, but today’s is especially so. The heat is just enough to keep the body warm; the tofu cubes are silky and soft; and the scent is therapeutic. It’s savory, lightly sour, and really addictive.

How Healthy Is This Soup?

The soup uses lean chicken breast, which is a great supply of protein with the eggs and tofu further increasing the soup’s protein yield.

With all ingredients combined—chicken, tofu, eggs, carrot, and mushroom, this soup is packed with micronutrients.

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By default, the soup is already low in calories and saturated fats, so we only had to pay attention to the salt. Our aim was not only to lower the sodium content but also to keep the flavor on point.

Once that’s done, it now yields 295 mg sodium, which is within healthy limits.

What Is Hot and Sour Soup?

This Chinese staple may have different varieties, but all of them are similarly seasoned: with pepper and vinegar. Red vinegar is the classic choice, giving the soup tanginess and a rustic aroma.

Cooked with it are some of these ingredients: meat (often chicken), tofu, wood ear, bamboo shoots, etc.; all is then thickened with cornstarch. However, to make the soup more accessible, we opt for ingredients that you’re likely to find anywhere: chicken, tofu, button mushrooms, and carrots. We also use white vinegar instead of red.

Once everything has come together, a beaten egg is stirred into the soup, creating cloud-like streaks that are as light in texture as they look. At this point, the soup looks very much like an egg-drop soup.

1. The Difference Between Hot and Sour and Egg Drop Soup

Egg drop soup is neither spicy nor tangy—like hot and sour soup. It’s expected to be gentler on the palate and mildly sweet.

2. Is This Soup Vegetarian?

Originally, it isn’t, but there are versions that call for tofu skin instead of meat. Tofu skin is chewy and fun, a nice addition to any vegan soups.

To make our hot and sour soup recipe vegetarian, use tofu skin and replace the chicken broth with vegetable broth.

Ingredients You Will Need

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• Chicken: skinless and boneless chicken breasts. You can use rotisserie chicken and bone-in cuts as well.
• Tofu: soft tofu, not firm tofu. The silky soft texture of soft tofu is more suitable for this soup.
• Veg: sliced button mushrooms and shredded carrots. We shredded our carrots with a mandoline.
• Seasoning: ginger, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, vinegar, pepper, and sesame oil. For the ‘hot’ element we used pepper flakes, but you can go for cayenne, tabasco, or any spicy condiment you fancy.
• Broth: chicken broth or vegetable broth, but must be unsalted.
• Thickener: cornstarch. We mixed our cornstarch with water before adding it to the soup to avoid lumps.
• Egg: one beaten egg.
• Herbs: scallions. If possible, use cilantro too—its aroma complements the soup nicely.

Storage and Reheating

The soup should keep for 4 days in the fridge or 3 months in the freezer.

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To freeze, divide the soup into portions and keep each portion in a separate Ziploc bag; it’ll make the soup easier to remove. To refrigerate, however, keep the soup in whatever container you feel convenient but make sure to seal it tightly.

To reheat, add the soup to a pot and simmer over low heat until bubbling.

How to Make How to Make Hot and Sour Soup

5 from 1 vote

This hot and sour soup recipe takes 15 minutes to simmer and is made from easy-to-find ingredients. It's good for your soul and your health.

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• cook TIME 27 mins
• prep TIME 8 mins
• total TIME 35 mins

• COURSE Appetizer, Side Dish
• CUISINE Global
• SERVINGS
  4

  servings
• CALORIES 179 kcal

INGREDIENTS

1x2x3x

• 1 oz carrot (shredded)
• 2 oz shiitake mushrooms (sliced)
• 3 oz soft tofu (cut into 1/2” cubes)
• 6 oz skinless boneless chicken breast (cut into chunks)
• 2 tbsp white vinegar
• 1 tsp ginger (chopped)
• 1 tbsp canola oil
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 1 1/2 cup unsalted chicken broth
• 1 1/2 tbsp reduced sodium soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp hoisin sauce
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
• 2 tbsp cornstarch
• 2 tbsp water
• 2 tbsp scallion (chopped)
• 1 medium egg

INSTRUCTIONS

Image instructions

Prep:

1

Chop the onion: Break a knob off a ginger root and use a spoon to scrape the skin off. Once it’s peeled, slice it as thinly as possible, cut the slices into strips, and cut the strips into tiny cubes. Measure out about 1 tsp.

2

Shred the carrot: Stand a grater on a cutting board with one hand. Hold a carrot in the other hand, and run the carrot against the grater, twisting while grating to keep the shreds as short as possible. Measure out 1 oz.

3

Slice the mushrooms: Measure 2 oz shiitake mushrooms and cut them into 1/8” slices.

4

Cube the tofu: Remove the tofu block from the package. Drain, rinse, and cut it into 1/4” cubes. Measure out 3 oz and refrigerate the rest in an air-tight container for up to 4 days.

5

Cut the chicken breast: cut a 6-oz chicken breast into 4 chunks.

Cook:

1

Sauté the ginger: Heat 1 tbsp canola oil in a pot over medium heat for 30 seconds. Stir in 1 tsp chopped ginger for about 30 seconds.

2

Add the mushrooms: Add 2 oz shiitake mushrooms and stir to cook for 3 minutes.

3

Add the broth: Pour in 1 1/2 cup chicken broth.

4

Add the chicken, carrot, and seasonings: Add 6 oz chicken breast, 1 oz shredded carrot, 2 tbsp white vinegar, 1 1/2 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce, 1/2 tsp hoisin sauce, 1 tbsp sesame oil, 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes, and 1/4 tsp ground black pepper.

5

Simmer the soup: Simmer on medium heat for about 15 minutes.

6

Shred the chicken: Turn off the heat. Fish out the chicken cubes and shred them with two forks.

7

Add the chicken back along with tofu: Add the chicken back to the pot along with 3 oz soft tofu. Turn the heat back on medium.

8

Thicken the soup: Stir together 2 tbsp water and 2 tbsp cornstarch in a bowl. When the soup bubbles, add the mixture to the soup and gently stir until thickened.

9

Stir in the egg: Crack an egg into a bowl and beat it. Stir the soup with one hand, gently, and slowly pour in the egg to create streaks. Just as the egg cooks, turn off the heat.

10

Serve the soup: Ladle the soup into serving bowls and sprinkle 2 tbsp chopped scallion on top.

NUTRITION

Nutrition Facts

How to Make How to Make Hot and Sour Soup

Amount Per Serving (1 serving)

Calories 179Calories from Fat 90

% Daily Value*

Fat 10g

15%

Saturated Fat 1.4g

9%

Cholesterol 72mg

24%

Sodium 295mg

13%

Potassium 266mg

8%

Carbohydrate 7g

2%

Fiber 1g

4%

Sugar 1g

1%

Protein 14g

28%

Vitamin A 1380IU

28%

Vitamin C 1mg

1%

Calcium 46mg

5%

Iron 1mg

6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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