Hot and Sour Soup

By Vivian Chan-Tam

Published Feb. 6, 2024

Hot and Sour Soup
Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Total Time
50 minutes
Prep Time
20 minutes
Cook Time
30 minutes
Rating
4(485)
Notes
Read community notes

Rich with pork, silky with tofu, punchy with rice vinegar, and spicy with both red and white pepper, this comforting soup is a Chinese classic. Hot and sour soup has been around for centuries in China, eventually making its way to the United States where it was tweaked for American palates (less sour and spicy) and became a popular staple at Chinese-American restaurants. Variations of the dish abound, mostly dependent upon the protein used: Pork is most common, but lamb, beef, chicken and vegetarian versions also exist. Cornstarch is essential to the recipe as it provides the soup’s velvety texture. (Just note that the soup can thicken as it cools.) Adjust the pepper and vinegar amounts to your preference.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 to 6
  • ½ounce dried wood ear mushrooms
  • 6ounces pork tenderloin, sliced into ½-inch-thick strips (see Tip 1)
  • 2tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce
  • 2teaspoons Shaoxing wine, or dry sherry
  • ½cup plus 1 teaspoon cornstarch
  • 8cups low-sodium chicken broth
  • 4ounces shiitake or baby bella mushrooms, stemmed and sliced ¼-inch thick
  • 1(8-ounce) package dry spiced tofu, cut into ¼-inch-thick slices, optional (see Tip 2)
  • 4ounces firm tofu, cut into ½-inch cubes
  • 1(8-ounce) can of sliced bamboo shoots, drained
  • 2medium scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced, whites and greens separated
  • ⅓ to ½cup rice vinegar, to taste
  • 2tablespoons dark soy sauce
  • 2teaspoons granulated sugar
  • ¾ to 1½teaspoons crushed red pepper, to taste
  • ¼ to ¾teaspoon ground white pepper, to taste
  • 1large egg, beaten
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

230 calories; 7 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 2 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 21 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 4 grams sugars; 22 grams protein; 654 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Bring 2 cups of water to a boil in a kettle or small pot. In a 4-cup heat-proof measuring cup or medium bowl, add the wood ear mushrooms, then pour the boiling water directly over them. Let sit until hydrated and doubled in size, about 10 minutes.

  2. Step 2

    Meanwhile, in another medium bowl, add the pork and 2 teaspoons of regular (low-sodium) soy sauce, Shaoxing wine and 1 teaspoon of cornstarch. Toss until well combined and marinate for 5 minutes.

  3. Step 3

    In a large, wide pot, bring 7 cups of the broth to a boil over high. Reduce heat to medium, then add the marinated pork, shiitake mushrooms, spiced tofu, firm tofu, bamboo shoots, scallion whites, vinegar, remaining 2 tablespoons regular soy sauce, dark soy sauce, sugar, crushed red pepper and white pepper. Simmer until mushrooms have softened and flavor has developed, 5 to 7 minutes.

  4. Step 4

    While the soup is simmering, drain the wood ear mushrooms; discard the liquid and thinly slice into strips. Trim and discard any hard ends that haven’t softened. Stir into the soup.

  5. Step 5

    Whisk the remaining ½ cup cornstarch with the remaining 1 cup chicken broth in a small bowl. Slowly stir into the soup; continue stirring until the soup has thickened, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Taste the soup and add more pepper or vinegar, if desired.

  6. Step 6

    Stir the soup in a circular motion and slowly drizzle in the beaten egg to create ribbons. Simmer for 1 minute. Divide soup among bowls and top with scallion greens. Serve immediately.

Tips
  • Tip 1: If purchasing a whole tenderloin, remove the 6 ounces needed for this recipe and freeze the remaining piece, wrapped tightly in plastic. Or, cut the remaining piece into strips and freeze in a single layer on a sheet pan, then transfer to a zip-top bag and store it in the freezer for a quick stir-fry.
  • Tip 2: Dry spiced tofu, sometimes known as five-spice tofu, is a vacuum-sealed package of firm, braised tofu blocks that can be found at Asian supermarkets or online. It’s usually smaller in size compared to traditional silken and firm tofu packages, but the tofu packs a big punch of flavor. It can be used in soups and stir-fry. Look for it in the refrigerated area near the other tofu packages.

Ratings

4 out of 5
485 user ratings
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Private Notes

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Cooking Notes

VR46

PRO TIP for the last step of adding the egg: Do not stir at first! Slowly and gently drizzle the beaten egg into the soup, and WAIT, for about 30 seconds (this gives the egg time to firm up a bit). Then gently swirl the eggs to get those luscious ribbons.

Sisyphean

Any hints for a pork substitute? I'm Levitical and my kids are vegetarians.

Martha

I first had this wonderful soup decades ago when very few Chinese restaurants had ever heard of it. What is served these days bears little resemblance to the true hot and sour. One of the ingredients that lended an exotic and delicious flavor is golden needles, the stamen, I believe, from a lily. This recipe comes close but misses the mark. Anyone who wants to experience the real soup should get a hold of the first cookbook by Joyce Chen. No comparison.

andrea

To make this soup vegetarian, use a half pound or more of tofu and marinate half of it as you would have done for the pork. Two ingredients to add depth and interest to this recipe: 1) a little sesame oil in the marinade and as a final garnish, and 2) lily buds (between 20-30)

Joan Prior

Do not buy "bamboo shoots" because they are tough and hard. Buy "bamboo shoot tips" also in a can. The tips can be found in most Asian grocery stores. They are soft & tender.

BJ

I'm lucky to find firm tofu where I live, let alone spiced tofu. Can I use regular tofu and add 5 spice powder or perhaps "marinate" the tofu with 5 spice powder for a while? How much 5 spice powder would one use?

A

For veggie options, I would recommend a variety of mushrooms and tofu. Try tofu skins, which have a firmer texture.

Martin R.

I can attest to Martha’s comment. Back in the late 70s when I first encountered hot and sour soup in east coast restaurants, the soup was quite warming to actual hot, and quite sour. The sour came from both black vinegar, or a mixture of red and black vinegars, and lily flower “golden needle” buds. Ithe hot was from black and/or white pepper. I don’t recall red pepper being used. Lily flower buds have all but disappeared from US Chinese restaurants.

Sam

Also, you can skip the red pepper and use only white pepper - it makes the soup peppery and “hot” without being burn-your-mouth spicy, a more nuanced experience. For vegetarians, a broth of shitake and/or other mushrooms, with caramelized onions and roasted garlic, might be a good substitute?

Sam

For the vegetarian broth you have to add fat - it can be healthy fat like canola but sesame oil would taste good. Otherwise just watch for how the flavor of the oil you choose will affect the dish. And use “fresh” bamboo shoots if you can get them, the texture is far better than canned

Cathy

Sisyphean, I’m thinking a very thinly sliced seitan would do the trick. It will mimic the pork texture and the other aromatics will carry the flavor, but you could increase them if you wanted to.

huiray

Oops, I mentioned tiger lily buds in my previous note. They're DAY LILY buds as I noted later in that same note.

Richard

Yes! That's the recipe I've been using since forever.

res

dried lily buds are mussing (as noted by another poster) tie the on a knot after soaking so they don't fall apart.

Mark

The introduction suggests chicken or lamb as pork substitutes. To make it vegetarian, I guess you would need to add more tofu and use vegetable instead of chicken stock but this would affect the flavor quite a bit I would think.

Me to Me

So yum! I would up tenderloin slightly, 8-12 oz. Didn’t use the wood-ear mushrooms. Added more red pepper flakes and white pepper. Stirred in a lot of rice vin and scallion greens to serve. Used 1 block firm tofu, would have made smaller cubes and tossed in at end. Upped shiitakes to 8 oz—I liked them cut thicker than I normally do, but I think would still have preferred them thinly cut.

Carol Guthrie

Pretty authentic! People in the comments recommended lily buds, and I think they are essential. Somehow, I also thought it could be just a little snappier, so I added a bit of gochchujang (mistakenly recalling it as part of the recipe), and that made a delightful difference, too

RS

I use TVP instead of pork as I don't eat meat. The texture is great. I also use half the cornstarch because otherwise it's too thick for my taste.

Keith

Suggestion: In Step 4, don't toss out the mushroom liquid. Instead, use 1 cup of it in Step 5 in place of the chicken broth. Also, cut back on the cornstarch. 4 tablespoons (instead of 8 tablespoons) is plenty in Step 5.

Dax

Be careful with the pepper ingredients. I love spicy food, and this recipe is VERY spicy as written. Add them towards the end (to taste.)

Bexley Mike

Addition of toasted sesame oil, great idea. Before adding found the taste, a little unsatisfying. The extra fat from the toasted sesame, one and a half tablespoons, was perfect.

AJL

The recipe says serve immediately but, as I imagine would be expected, It really came into its own after being refrigerated overnight.

MyRagTimeDoll

This recipe was great except one thing - way too much cornstarch! I suggest you mix your cornstarch with broth, but then only add it maybe a quarter of the mix at a time. My first time cooking this recipe turned out white colored and thick - still tasted great though. Everything else was pretty much exactly as in the recipe. I will definitely make many times again. And I agree, little touches such as lily are great, but not everyone can find those ingredients.

CWCarr

Waiter used to bring some chili crisp to the table when I ordered hot and sour soup. I use that rather than red pepper flakes.

Margaret

Wood ear mushrooms AND tiger lily buds.

KL

I make this soup vegetarian and the secret is a good strong mushroom broth! You can make it by soaking dried shiitakes in hot water, or other dried mushrooms. Avoid western-style vegetable broths—the carrot-celery-onion flavor is the wrong flavor profile for Chinese cooking. And dried lily buds add a lot of flavor. You should be able to find them at an Asian grocery store (near the dried mushrooms) or order online.

Stpeh

Grateful that this was broken down into doable steps as a home cook but without familiarity with the cuisine, I didn't get there. I even had fresh woodear mushrooms which were wonderful but somehow the magical flavor of this soup still eludes me.

April M

Followed the recipe except could not get spiced tofu so used baked tofu and a pinch of five spice powder and 1/3 c cornstarch instead of 1/2 c. Much better than my local Chinese take out place in NY. I’ll never buy it there again. The only thing they use that I did not was the dried lily buds. But this was DELICIOUS so I really didn’t miss it. Might get some to add next time, I guess it’s possible that it could taste even better?

Kathleen McC

Cooked mostly as directed. Used fresh wood ear mushrooms instead of dried. Used my own homemade chicken stock. Can of bamboo shoots were thick and chewy; would look for tender bamboo shoot tips next time, per another comment. Used the 2 kinds of tofu, but probably will just use the whole block of firm tofu next time, or half a block of firm and just half the dry spiced tofu, as it was too much in the soup. Add some 5 spice if not using it. Overall delicious, especially the next day.

Food scientist DJD

Where are the dried tigger Lilly blossoms?

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