The Lunar New Year, often called the Chinese New Year, is next week and I take that as the perfect excuse to pull out some of my favourite Chinese recipes and to try some new ones. One of my favourite Chinese take out dishes is the hot and sour soup and a few years ago I shared a traditional Chinese hot and sour soup recipe but it required a few ingredients that you could only get on a trip down to Chinatown or a well stocked local Asian grocery store so I decided to come up with a more accessible or pantry friendly version. This version of Chinese hot and sour soup does not require any rare ingredients, it takes less 20 minutes to make and what’s more is that it’s still better than most take out versions! You really couldn’t find a much simpler soup recipe than this one, you pretty much just throw everything into the pot, heat it, pour in the egg drop along with a few seasoning and you are done! If you are looking for a quick, easy and tasty Chinese hot and sour soup, this is it and it was perfect for me right now since it is far too cold out for me to head down to Chinatown to pick up some of those wood ear mushrooms and lily buds that are required for the more traditional version of the recipe!
Quick and Easy Chinese Hot and Sour Soup
A pantry friendly Chinese hot and sour soup that is so quick and easy to make and so much better than take out that you’ll never order it out again!
ingredients
- 4 cups chicken broth or chicken stock or vegetable broth
- 4 ounces shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced
- 1 (8-ounce) can bamboo shoots, drained and thinly sliced
- 8 ounces firm tofu, drained and sliced in 1/4-inch strips
- 2 cloves garlic, grated
- 2 teaspoons ginger, grated
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 3 tablespoons rice vinegar or red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon chili sauce, such as sambal oelek or sriracha
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce (or tamari for gluten-free)
- 2 teaspoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons corn starch mixed into 2 tablespoons cold water
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 2 teaspoons toasted sesame seed oil
- 1 teaspoon white pepper (or black pepper)
- 4 green onions, sliced
directions
- Bring the broth, mushrooms, bamboo shoots, tofu, garlic, ginger, vinegars, chili sauce, soy sauce and sugar to a boil in a large sauce pan over medium-high heat, reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Mix in the cornstarch and water mixture and simmer until the soup thickens a bit, about 2 minutes.
- Slowly pour in the eggs in a thin stream while stirring the soup.
- Mix in the sesame oil, white pepper and green onions, remove from heat and enjoy!
Option: Add julienned raw pork or chicken or leftover roast pork or roast chicken to make the soup heartier.
Kevin, I love all of your Asian recipes!! and think it's so awesome you are sharing some for Chinese New Year next week! and wow, so smart to come up with a more pantry friendly version as some people might not have an Asian market close by. This is great! can't wait to try this!
This is an absolutely gorgeous take on hot and sour soup Kevin!
Warm and comforting! Love this Kevin!
Having this soup for lunch!!
Kevin, my husband and I love hot and sour soup, and although I make many different kinds of soup, the recipes for hot and sour soup have always been too "out there" to tackle. THANK YOU for working on a recipe we can all make easily!!
This looks wonderful. Thanks!
Dying for this soup right now Kevin!
That looks amazing – and seriously all your photos are major food porn! Thanks for always pinning them too
"3. Slowly pour in the eggs in a thin stream while "string" the soup."
Kevin, I need help here, how do I "string" soup, I can do beads……grin
Looking forward to makeing a batch as soon as i know how. Love your recipes….
bill,
Alb.
stir, not string
bill: That should have been 'while stirring'. (I really need to turn auto correct off…)
Kevin, I knew there was an "I"missing, but could not pass up the chance. It hit my funny bone when I spotted it, and i roared at the thought of stringing….. Not the word police by a long shot.
bill,
Alb.
Quick & Easy…you are the best!!! Thanks (it's in the 80's in Palm springs area)..That's why Obama is here..:)
I loooooooooove Hot and Sour soup. I can't wait to try the recipe 🙂
Kevin, what are the red thingys in one of our pictures? A red jalapeno? Looks delicious I can' t wait to make it.
err… your
Kilyena: Yes, that is just some red chili peppers that I sliced up for a colourful garnish for the photos and for some more spicy heat! Enjoy!
This Hot & Sour soup looks delicious. Another lovely recipe, Kevin.
Do you think this would freeze well?
Loved this!! Added a little leftover steak. Simple and great flavor Thanks for posting Kevin.
Good recipe, Kevin! I appreciate that you try to make many of your recipes easy for the American cook who does not have all of the special ingredients often available only in specialty stores. I love hot and sour soup, but every time I think about making it at home, I am turned off because I don't have those specialty ingredients required in most recipes I find online. I am afraid if I buy them for that recipe, I'll never use them again – which would make for a very expensive pot of soup. I will buy the Chinese vinegar for next time. I had the balsamic vinegar to use as a substitute, but I felt that it gave it a balsamic taste that was too strong. Perhaps apple cider vinegar wouldn't have as much of a strong flavor. I compensated with a little more brown sugar which did help. In any case, the recipe as is was easy to make and I can now have hot and sour soup at home! Thank you! PS: your recipes are beautifully photographed – you know the saying: you eat with your eyes!! If that were true, I'd gain a LOT of weight just reading your recipes!! Thanks for taking the time to make them so visually attractive
Anonymous: I'm glad that you enjoyed it!
Anonymous, Kevin is a Canadian. You can't have him…he's ours!!
Great recipe for a quick hot and sour fix! Based on what I had on hand, I substituted two thinly sliced pork chops for the tofu and used sliced fresh button mushrooms. I increased the vinegar, sugar, soy sauce and sriracha only because of personal preference. Thanks for posting!
I’ve made this many times and love it. I use 3T Fire Cider.
For some reason, if I’m not feeling well, this soup is a comforting meal for me! So glad I found your recipe.
Thanks very much for sharing your recipe, it made a wonderful pot of soup.
This one is fab, too, like the restaurants nearby, but not close enough financially to my budget. I'll be trying this one before I get off the island and to the Asian stores across the water. I live nw of Seattle, so the stores are well stocked. Thanks again, Kevin, for a great recipe.
And to anonymous person, don't be afraid of buying tree ears and lily flower buds. Both are dried, can be stored for years in glass jars, and the buds are delicious to snack on, straight out of the package. Reminiscent of apricot texture and and taste, but more floral. Yummy, and neither were exotically expensive.
Made this tonight, so good! Going to try to make a bigger batch to freeze some next time.
This soup was amazing! And so simple. Thanks do sharing.
I used Apple Cider Vinegar instead of Balsamic (it's what I had) and this still turned out great!
We love h & s soup from our Chinese take out but the last batch nearly blew our heads off!!! Thanks for posting this so I can make your version and adjust the heat to a non lethal level. Gorgeous photos by the way.
I made this today and am now sitting here eating a bowl. I didn't have any fresh mushrooms, but had tiny dried shiitake mushrooms that I rehydrated. I followed the exact measurements and I felt it smelled slightly more authentic before the sesame oil. It tastes really good and I can play around with variations of amounts to suit me. Thank you for this great recipe!
This was really yummy! We made it for dinner last night. 1 tbsp of sriracha was the PERFECT amount of heat. My husband typically likes recipes with a lot of heat, I like it with less – but we both agreed it was perfect for this one!
What is chili sauce? Where does one find that?
I just made this three nights ago for my husband, we ate the leftovers last night, and he asked that I please make it tonight AGAIN. First time I ever tried it, and it's his favorite soup… DELICIOUS didn't change a thing. SOOOOO good! So happy we found your blog
I have been looking for a recipe with ingredients I keep in my kitchen. I will be trying this in the near future. Thanks for another recipe!
thank you so much for this recipe! Have made a few times now, and it is the bomb. So happy to have found this—-many, many times better than the soup you can make with those store-bought packets.
I am not a fan of mushrooms so my question is for those I want to make this soup for. Do you wash the mushrooms under running water before using in the recipe? Or, do you just brush them with a soft brush? Anxious to try this for friends.
Hi Kevin. This sounds perfect for the upcoming Chinese New Year! Can you suggest an alternative to the tofu? I know I can leave it out but would like to keep the soup somewhat 'meaty.'
Karen vG: Extra shiitake mushrooms or maybe sliced portobello mushrooms would be nice replacements for the tofu if you are going for meatless, otherwise chicken or pork would also be great for protein.
I made this for my bf last night and we both LOVED it! It was fairly quick and easy. The only modifications I made was I added 2 extra cups of veggie broth and I used Fire Cider instead of the rice vinegar since we both have colds and wanted it extra spicy 🙂 Thanks!
Very good but needed a teensy splash of white vinegar to give it the perfect SOUR aspect.
I love this recipe and will be making this today, my question is, can I substitute sesame oil for the toasted sesame oil?
Thank you so much for this recipe. I used four cups of fish stock and I cup of vege stock. I also added bok choy and added 300g of cubed fish. I also added around 1tbs of white vinegar. My partner loves this recipe, it's the first time I've ever cooked anything like this. I also used a mix of mushrooms, shittake mushrooms and black fungi mushrooms. He also said that be would like me to not put in the white pepper next fine.
Thank you so much for the recipe!!!
Gabrielle Schutte: I'm glad you like it!
Wow, this was delicious! We left out the tofu and used chicken instead, added some green peas and bean sprouts… very hearty, and just right on the heat 🙂
Charlotte Jensen: I'm glad you like it!
Made this tonight. Smiles all round. Will be making this again for sure!
When I poured the eggs in, the soup turned completely cloudy. I followed the directions exactly. What did I do wrong? It tastes good but definitely doesn't look like yours or any other I have seen. Any ideas?
When I added the egg in a slow stream the soup turned completely cloudy. I followed the recipe exactly. It tastes good but definitely doesn't look like yours or any other one I've seen. Any ideas?
Tina: When you poured the eggs in did you pour them slowly in a thin stream while stirring/swirling the soup? You should have gotten thin flecks of white cooked egg forming in the soup. Otherwise the flavour should be fine.
I love hot and sour soup, but this really tasted nothing like the hot and sour soup I've eaten. The balsamic vinegar really didn't work for my family's taste. My wife thought it was ok, but we will try a different recipe next time.
Stacia: You can replace the balsamic vinegar with more rice wine vinegar, but it is only present in such a small quantity that it should barely be adding a hint of flavour to the soup.
Made it, loved it ! I used fresh grated ginger instead of ginger powder and added a bit a raw shredded chicken. One extra tbsp of vinegar to make it a bit more sour. My husband complimented me on this new recipe !!
In the nutrition items you state the cholesterol as 100mg's is this correct?
It says 100mg of cholesterol, is this correct?
Thank you so much for posting this recipe. I've made it twice, now, and we love it. I actually leave out the corn starch and the sugar and add a little more rice wine vinegar, and it tastes great! I never have the ingredients called for in other recipes, but I had everything you listed in my pantry. I am really grateful you took the time to do put this online.
Terrific recipe!! I used a thinly sliced chicken breast in lieu of the tofu but otherwise followed exactly. PERFECT balance of flavours! Thank you for posting this healthy and tasty soup!
Terrific recipe!! I used a thinly sliced chicken breast in lieu of the tofu but otherwise followed exactly. PERFECT balance of flavours! Thank you for posting this healthy and tasty soup!
Love it! Fast and easy. Thank you.
This is my favorite soup and I am so excited that I was able to make it with what I already had at home. I live in Japan and it's very difficult to get international ingredients for cooking. I added gyoza (small pork dumplings) like they did at my favorite restaurant back in America. So easy and delicious!
EggsOverEasy: Love the addition of gyoza!
I was wondering if you ever thought of changing the layout of your site?
Its very well written; I love what youve got to say. But maybe you could a little more in the way of
content so people could connect with it better. Youve got
an awful lot of text for only having 1 or 2 pictures.
Maybe you could space it out better?
This recipe is so easy and SO delicious. Absolutely nailed it. Thank you! Will def be sharing this recipe with family and friends 🙂
Kevin, I pin your recipes all the time and have made many of them. Love them all but this may be my new favorite! I followed your recipe exactly except that I subbed 1/4 chopped onion for the bamboo because I don’t like it. This was our meal and not a side dish so I added 1 link each of sweet and hot sausage. (casings removed, crumbled and cooked before adding to the soup) I also had a ginger-kafir lime balsamic vinegar that I used in place of the regular balsamic. This soup was AMAZING!! My husband and I both loved it! I can’t wait to make it for my daughter when she comes home from school! Thanks!
I have made this many times. Very tasty!!!!!!! I prefer to substitute leftover grilled chicken for the tofu.
This soup is so good! I made it without tofu because I didn’t have any, but otherwise I followed your directions exactly. So yummy! Thanks for the great recipe, Kevin. Definitely a keeper that I will share!
I have made this a few times. Fantastic!!!!! My husband is not a fan of tofu, so I substitute diced grilled chicken thigh. Otherwise follow the recipe exactly as written. It’s quick and easy. Thank you Kevin.
I make this recipe often, as written except sub chicken or pork for tofu. Love all your recipes! Never found a bad one.
Hi Kevin,
I’ve made this soup many times and we all love it! I add extra rice vinegar instead of the balsamic, but that’s my only change. It’s so easy and delicious. Thanks!
Made this for dinner last night. Used the following as the recipe suggested extra firm tofu (no meat), gluten free low sodium tamari, sambal olek, rice vinegar and chicken stock. The only substitution I had to make was using baby portabellas instead of shiitake mushrooms. It was amazing and really so easy to make. Thank you for a great recipe!!! Also..a special thank you for making gluten free suggestions where ever possible. I have Celiac so must be GF.
Awesome soup, was exactly what I was looking for vs paying $5 a quart at a local restaurant. The only thing I had to buy was the tofu, so I guess it was meant to be for me.
I’ve held onto this recipe for several years and finally made it today, even though it’s nearly 100 degrees F outside!
I was happily surprised that it had exactly the right balance of ‘hot’ and ‘sour’. I had to stop myself from eating it right out of the pot! That’s how good it is! Thanks for the great and easy recipe. You can be sure I will be making this again very soon!
Made this tonight and it was delicious and came together so quickly. One thing I noticed after adding the corn starch slurry was my broth turned and stayed a white hue. The flavor was fine though, just didn’t expect the color change.
I made this recipe with only 2 changes. I only had plain old white button mushrooms but I sliced them very thin & didn’t mind the substitution. And I used the little frozen cubes of garlic & ginger. The soup was VERY good and it was easy, too. Next time I make it, I will add some Fire Cider like a previous commenter mentioned. This is a keeper- meaning I will write the recipe on a notecard and file it.
I’ve tried different Hot and Sour recipes over the years because I am a little obsessed with the soup. This is definitely the best one. Used sliced Portabellas. Yum Yum Yum. Thanks, Kevin