This delicious Hot and Sour Soup is one of the best classic Chinese soup recipes, loaded with healthy ingredients. A perfect combination of savoury, hot, sour, plus hearty. Super quick and easy to prepare in less than 20 minutes!
When the weather turns colder, we crave warm, comforting foods. Soups are a top choice for chilly days, but you can enjoy them any season of the year.
Egg Drop Soup and Chicken Sweetcorn Soup are our readers’ favourite Chinese restaurant soup recipes, which you might also love!
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What is Hot and Sour Soup?
Hot and sour soup is a restaurant and takeout favourite Chinese soup known for its bold, comforting flavours.
Made with chicken stock, shredded chicken, mushrooms, bamboo shoots, and silky egg ribbons. It has a unique hot, tangy, and savoury taste, and the soup texture is thick and glossy.
It’s so soothing and a perfect soup to warm you up on cold days and boost your immune system. It’s easy to customise with your favourite protein, vegetables, and seasonings.
Ingredients
Protein and Soup Base
- Chicken: Boneless skinless chicken breast
- Chicken Stock: Use store-bought or homemade chicken stock without Italian or English herbs.
- Tofu: firm or extra firm tofu
- Egg
Vegetables
- Dried or fresh shiitake mushroom
- Bamboo shoots
- Needle mushroom ( Enoki mushroom )
- Carrots
- Fresh garlic and ginger
Seasonings
- Light soy/regular soy sauce and dark soy sauce
- Chingkiang Chinese black rice vinegar
- White pepper
- Sugar
- Salt & pepper
- Sesame oil
- Cornstarch slurry ( Cornstarch and water mixture to thicken the soup. )
Variations
- You can also use chicken thighs, prawns, seafood, beef, pork, or any tender meat you wish. If you have any pre-cooked or boiled shredded chicken, feel free to add it to the soup.
- You can use store-bought low-sodium chicken or vegetarian stock to save time on busy days. Or you can add homemade chicken stock if you already have one at home.
- Instead of chicken stock/broth, you can add water with chicken stock cubes or bullion powder.
- Use firm tofu or extra firm tofu for this recipe, as the soft tofu can be mushy in the soup when you stir it.
- Wood ear mushrooms, lily buds ( dried lily flowers ), or any fresh mushrooms or vegetables you love.
- Regular white vinegar or rice wine vinegar is the perfect substitute for Chinese Chingkiang black rice vinegar.
Top Tips
- It's very important to pour the egg slowly and stir gently in one direction in a circular motion when pouring to achieve the silky egg ribbons.
- If you use any dried vegetables like dried shiitake mushroom, wood ear mushroom, or dried lily buds, you can keep the rest of the packet for later use. Store them in an airtight container or bags to preserve the flavour.
- The soup texture might change if you leave it longer. This soup tastes best when freshly cooked.
- If the soup gets thickened, add some water, and if the soup gets watery, add a splash of cornstarch slurry, then simmer to your desired consistency.
Instructions
- First, gather the seasoning ingredients and prepare the chicken and vegetables. Mix the cornstarch and water in a small bowl to make the cornstarch slurry. Whisk the egg in a bowl and set it aside.
- In a large pot, add the chicken stock and bring it to a boil. Add garlic, ginger, and chicken slices.
- Cook for 2-3 minutes and follow with the mushroom, tofu, and bamboo shoots. Let it simmer for 2-3 minutes, then add the needle mushroom and shredded carrots.
- Next, season the soup with light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, vinegar, white pepper, black pepper, sugar, and salt to taste.
- To thicken the soup, add cornstarch slurry and drizzle sesame oil for a flavour. When the soup starts to thicken, pour the egg slowly and stir gently in one direction.
- Make a taste test and adjust the salt and white pepper according to your taste.
- Turn off the heat and sprinkle the chopped spring onions. Transfer to a serving bowl, and serve immediately while hot. Garnish with extra spring onions. Enjoy!
Serving Suggestions
You can serve this soup on its own or add some egg noodles or rice noodles and make it a noodle soup.
Pair it with other Chinese dishes, Spicy Smashed Cucumber Salad, Yuk Sung ( Chinese Lettuce Wraps ), Prawn Spring Rolls, Easy Beef Fried Rice, Chinese Tomato Egg Stir Fry and make it a wholesome family dinner.
Storage and Reheating
You can make it one day ahead and keep it in an airtight container in the fridge. Simply reheat it over the stovetop or in the microwave until hot. I do not recommend freezing this soup.
FAQ
This soup has loads of healthy vegetables and tofu inside, but it's delicious without meat inside. Substitute the chicken stock with vegetable stock, then create a vegetarian hot and sour soup!
The soup texture might change when you reheat it. You can adjust the soup consistency by adjusting more or less cornstarch slurry while reheating.
The spiciness in hot and sour soup mainly comes from white pepper. Unlike black pepper, white pepper is more pungent, bold, and spicy. It has a sharp, peppery heat that goes really well with the hot and sour soup’s tangy flavour.
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📖 Recipe
Hot and Sour Soup
Ingredients
- 100 g Boneless chicken thigh/breast
- 4-5 cup Chicken/vegetable stock
- 3-4 Shiitake mushroom ( pre-soaked in warm water 30 mins )
- 50 g Firm tofu
- 50 g Bamboo shoots ( fresh or tin)
- ½ cup Shredded carrot
- 30 g Needle mushroom (enoki mushroom) ( or you can use any fresh mushroom )
- ½ tsp Ginger finely chopped
- ½ tsp Garlic finely chopped
- 1 Egg
- 2 Spring onions (cut thin slices)
Seasonings
- 3 tbsp Light soy sauce
- ¼ tsp Dark soy sauce
- 2-3 tbsp Chinese black vinegar ( or regular white vinegar ) ( adjust sour level according to your taste )
- ½ tsp White pepper
- 1 tsp Sugar
- 1 tsp Sesame oil
- ¼ tsp Black pepper (optional)
- Salt to taste
- 2 tbsp Corn starch(flour)
- ¼ cup Water
Instructions
- Beat one egg in a bowl and set aside. Mix the corn starch and water in a small bowl set aside.
- In a large pot, pour the chicken stock in, bring it to boil with medium heat, add the chop garlic, ginger and chicken simmer for 2 minutes. Then follow with the shiitake mushroom, tofu and bamboo shoots slices. Simmer for another 2-3 minutes.
- Then add the needle mushroom and shredded carrots.
- Add all the seasoning ingredients, light soy, dark soy, vinegar, white pepper, black pepper, sugar and salt. Then follow with the corn starch water mixture and sesame oil.
- When the soup is start to get thicken, pour the egg slowly and stir gently into one direction.
- Make a taste test and adjust salt and pepper according to your taste.
- Turn off the heat and sprinkle the chopped spring onions.
- Transfer to serving bowl, serve immediately while hot. Garnish with extra spring onions. Enjoy!
Notes
- It's very important to pour the egg slowly and stir gently in one direction in a circular motion when pouring to achieve the silky egg ribbons.
- If you use any dried vegetables like dried shiitake mushroom, wood ear mushroom, or dried lily buds, you can keep the rest of the packet for later use. Store them in an airtight container or bags to preserve the flavour.
- The soup texture might change if you leave it longer. This soup tastes best when freshly cooked.
- If the soup gets thickened, add some water, and if the soup gets watery, add a splash of cornstarch slurry, then simmer to your desired consistency.
Ian says
Simple. Close to my idea of Ideal Hot & Sour Soup. Thank You.
Going to try adding Lily flower next time 🙂 - also saw addition of dried Mandarin peel [Chinese regional]
Exploring is great fun.
Khin says
Glad you enjoyed it, Ian. Thanks for sharing your feedback.
John Cartwright says
made it last night, loved it
Khin says
So glad that you enjoyed it, John. Thanks for trying it out and sharing feedback.
Kat says
Absolutely delicious
Phil K says
Hi
All your recipes I have tried so far have been a hit, thank you!
On the Hot & Sour soup are there any alternatives to adding the mushrooms?
Thanks
Khin says
Thank you so much Phil. You can skip the mushrooms if you do not like them. Taste will not be change even without mushrooms.
Ginny H says
Why are there no Cheyanne pepper flakes or some sort of pepper (besides The ground White & Black peppers)? Or is this being offered as a temperature hot rather than a spicy heat soup? You do have call for double the amount of white pepper. Is that truly all it is?
Khin says
Hi Ginny, Half teaspoon of white pepper brings some heat to the soup. If you wish to make it a bit spicier, dried red chili flakes would be a great idea.
Caroline Lee says
This soup is amazing. I have been looking for a recipe that does not require any unusual ingredients. This was perfect. Super easy to make and very very close in taste to takeaway bought soup. Highly recommend
Khin says
Thank you for taking the time and sharing your comment Caroline! So glad that you enjoyed this hot and sour soup recipe!
Christina says
Very easy recipe to follow. Delicious. I used more ginger and left out the chicken. Will definitely try more recipes from this website!
Khin says
That's a great idea Christina. Thank you so much for your comment.