Hot & Sour Soup
Whenever I return from a trip, all I want is a hot bowl of soup. As you may know from following my Instagram account, I love all types of soup. One that I started making more regularly recently is the Chinese Hot and Sour Soup. It’s so flavorful. There’s something about the sourness, saltiness, and the spice that just hits the spot. I love the crunchy textures of the bamboo and water chestnuts as well as the softness of the tofu and egg ribbons. So yummy. It tastes so much better when you make it at home yourself. Restaurants sometimes overdo it on the cornstarch, soy sauce, or spice. I don’t use cornstarch in my recipe at all because I generally prefer thin, brothier soups. You may add cornstarch if you like a thicker texture. If you’re a soup lover, try my recipe!
Hot and Sour Soup (serves 4-5)
Ingredients:
· 32 oz low sodium chicken broth
· 1 quart & 1 cup of water
· 15 dried shiitake mushrooms, rehydrate in bowl of hot water for 30 minutes, thinly sliced
· 1 small 8 oz can of bamboo shoots
· 6 oz tofu, cubed
· 3 eggs, lightly whisked
· 1 small can of water chestnuts, sliced (optional)
· 1 clove of garlic, mashed
· 1 nubbin of ginger
· 4½ tbsp soy sauce
· 6 tbsp vinegar
· ½ - 1 tsp chili flakes
· 2 tsp sesame oil
· ½ tsp black pepper
· ½-¾ tsp salt
· ¾ cup of scallions diced
Directions: Bring the broth with water to a boil. Simmer for about 15 minutes with ginger and garlic. Add tofu, bamboo, rehydrated sliced shiitake mushrooms, and water chestnuts. If there is not enough broth, add more water. Cook for 15 minutes. Season the soup with soy sauce, vinegar, chili flakes, sesame oil, black pepper, and salt. Cook for another 15 minutes. Create egg ribbons by slowly pouring in the whisked eggs into the pot. Stir the eggs in the pot of soup with a fork or chopstick. Toss in half of the scallions and then continue to cook for a couple more minutes. Top with additional fresh scallions when serving.