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Hot and Sour Soup

By Chef Linda

Need to set your soul on fire? This is a must-try recipe–simple, powerful and addictive. Hot and Sour Soup in a restaurant is typically made with pork, beef broth, and eggs. This soup was developed for a global cuisine class on Chinese take-out favorites. 

After researching many different versions, I decided to adapt a recipe I found from Betty Foo of Hunan Restaurant that claimed to impress Chinese in-laws and impossible-to-please husbands. This version, of course, does without the pork strands, eggs, and beef broth. Instead, I used thinly sliced shiitake mushrooms, tofu, and vegetable broth...all easy substitutions. The real "wow" factor here is in creating the harmony between the "hot" and the "sour". The ingredients are simple; distilled white vinegar, cayenne, and white pepper. The balance is where it gets fun. Too much heat without the twang from the vinegar and you'll think your hair is on fire. Too much vinegar without the right heat will give you quite a pucker. When the proportions are correct, it's heaven.

Give this the three-bite try. After the first bite you may wonder, "Yikes, is that steam coming out of my ears?" After the second bite, you'll feel the weight of a warm, safe hug. By the third bite, you'll believe that all is right with the world and wonder if you have enough ingredients to make another batch.

Hot and Sour Soup

YIELDS
6 servings

INGREDIENTS

 6 cups vegetable broth

 4 oz shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and thinly sliced

 ½ lb firm tofu, cut into small cubes

 ½ cup bamboo shoots, cut into thin strips

 2 tbsp grated fresh ginger

 5 tbsp white vinegar

 1 tsp sugar

 ½ cup tamari or soy sauce

 1 tsp cayenne pepper, ground

 1 tsp ground white pepper

 ¼ tsp garlic powder

 2 tbsp cornstarch

 ½ cup water

 2 tbsp finely chopped scallions

 1 tsp toasted sesame oil

DIRECTIONS

1

Remove stems from mushrooms (reserve for making stock or soup), and thinly slice caps. (Don’t soak or wash the mushrooms, just brush off any dirt with a dry paper towel.)

Bring the broth to a boil in a medium pot, and add the tofu, mushrooms, bamboo shoots, ginger, tamari, spices, vinegar, salt, and sugar. Simmer for about 15 minutes.

Mix the corn starch and water in a small bowl to create a slurry which will thicken the soup when added. Add the slurry to the pot while stirring constantly. Cook for about 3 more minutes, until you feel the soup thicken slightly. Turn off the heat. Ladle the soup into bowls, then garnish with scallions and a drizzle of sesame oil.

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CategoryGluten Free, Nut Free, Peanut Free, SoupsCuisineChineseTags#asian, #chinesefood, #ethnic, #soup

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