Chinese Hot and Sour Soup with Tofu and Mushrooms
Chinese hot and sour soup, this vegetarian version features shiitake mushrooms, silken tofu, Chinese black vinegar and crispy chilli oil.
This simple soup is both easy and quick to cook. Chopping the vegetables should take no more than 10 minutes, and cooking takes less than 15 minutes!
Chinese Spicy Egg Drop Soup
Hot and sour soup is a perennial favourite on the menus of Chinese restaurants around the world.
I love me a good Chinese fakeaway night, and this dish or my Chinese chicken and sweetcorn soup, is always on the menu.
It is a light soup that features silken tofu, spring onions and shiitake mushrooms, with an egg whisked through it just before serving.
The heat from the recipe comes from one of my favourite ingredients, crispy chilli oil (lao gan ma). I adore this stuff; it gets used in everything from my crispy chilli beef, and garlic chilli chicken udon noodles to my leftover roast chicken soup.
The sour element comes from Chinese Chinkiang vinegar, which adds a wonderful depth of flavour alongside acidity.
My take on this delicious but gloriously simple dish is vegetarian and cooks in well under 30 minutes, and that includes all of the preparation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use firm or extra-firm tofu?
Yes, at a push, but it does have a very different texture to silken tofu. I don't think it is suited to this recipe.
It will also take a little longer to heat through; add an extra minute or two to the cooking time.
Can I use different mushrooms?
Yes, this can be made with any type of mushroom, but I think that the firm texture of shiitake mushrooms is ideal in this recipe.
What is Chinkiang vinegar?
Chinkiang is a Chinese black rice vinegar, and it is delicious! The flavour is deeper and richer than regular rice vinegar, and it is well worth hunting some down.
I use it in most of my Chinese "fakeaway" recipes, so don't worry about it languishing in the cupboard. You can substitute it for any rice vinegar if needed.
Do I have to add the MSG?
No, but if you omit it, then you are missing out!
Can I make this vegan?
This is an egg drop soup, but the egg can be omitted, turning it into a fantastic vegan soup.
Serving Suggestions
My take on Chinese hot and sour soup makes for an awesome standalone meal for lunch.
However, I mainly cook it as a starter for our semi-regular Chinese fakeaway nights.
I usually start off with some prawn toast to nibble on, followed by a bowl of soup.
Then I break out the noodle dishes, I've served this with everything from dan dan noodles, to my tofu noodle stir fry and even with my Japanese-influenced mushroom yaki udon noodles.
But if noodles ain't your thing, it is great served before everything from my special fried rice to my take on chicken egg foo yung!
Equipment Used
I only name-check brands of equipment if I think that they make a material difference to a recipe. But if you have any questions, feel free to ask them in the comments section below the recipe.
- Hob/stovetop.
- Wok.
- Stirring spoon.
- Kitchen knife.
- Chopping board.
- Mixing bowl.
- Kettle to boil water for the stock.
- A combination of weighing scales, a measuring jug, measuring cups and spoons.
Chinese Hot and Sour Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 250 g Silken Tofu 9oz
- 125 g Shiitake Mushrooms 4oz
- 500 ml Vegetable Stock 2 Cups
- 15 g Ginger ½ Thumb Sized Piece
- 3 Garlic Cloves
- 4 Spring Onions
- 1 teaspoon Dark Soy Sauce
- 2 teaspoon Light Soy Sauce
- 2 tablespoon Chinkiang Vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Sesame Oil
- 1 tablespoon Crispy Chilli Oil (I use Lao Gan Ma)
- ½ teaspoon Sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon MSG
- ⅛ teaspoon White Pepper
- 2 teaspoon Cornflower
- 1 Large Egg
- 2 tablespoon Cooking Oil
Instructions
- Remove the tofu from the packet and wrap it in some kitchen paper to soak up excess moisture.
- Cut the stems from the shiitake mushrooms and discard them, then slice the caps into 2-3mm (⅛") thick strips.
- Peel the ginger and cut it into batons as finely as you can.
- Peel the garlic cloves and slice them as thinly as possible.
- Trim and clean up the spring onions, then cut the white end into 1cm (½") long lengths and finely shred the green ends, keeping the white and green bits separate.
- Mix the soy sauces, Chinkiang vinegar, sesame oil, crispy chilli oil, white pepper and MSG together with the cornstarch and set aside.
- Place the egg in a bowl and lightly beat it.
- Cut the tofu into 5mm (¼") thick batons.
- Heat a wok over a high heat and when it is hot, add the oil, garlic, ginger and white parts of the spring onion and stir fry for 45-60 seconds.
- Throw in the mushrooms and stir fry for 60-90 seconds.
- Pour in the vegetable stock and bring to a boil.
- When the stock is boiling, add the spicy soy sauce mix and cook until the stock thickens a little. This will take a minute or two.
- Whilst whisking, slowly pour in the beaten egg.
- Add the tofu and the green parts of the spring onion (keeping a little back for garnish), and cook for a final 60 seconds.
I adore hot and sour soup! But here in Italy good Chinese restaurants are hard to come by! Am def going to try this out. It sounds wonderful! BTW I have almost the exact same bowls as yours which I bought in Budapest!!
I love hot and sour soup and this recipe looks delicious! I need to pin and try this ASAP!
I love hot and sour soup...I make it often...will try your version with tofu and egg...never used egg ....and yes loved your bowls...
I adore hot and sour soup! But here in Italy good Chinese restaurants are hard to come by! Am def going to try this out. It sounds wonderful! BTW I have almost the exact same bowls as yours which I bought in Budapest!!
Such a small world 🙂 I find good Chinese restaurants are tough to find right across Europe, I can count the good ones I have found on the fingers of one hand 😮
I love hot and sour soup and this recipe looks delicious! I need to pin and try this ASAP!
Thanks Amanda.
I love hot and sour soup...I make it often...will try your version with tofu and egg...never used egg ....and yes loved your bowls...
Thanks Renu... There are a bewildering array of "hot and sour soups" from all over Asia so it is not surprising really that we encounter different versions. This is a pretty classic egg drop soup with hot and sour elements.
TOFU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Brian, I'm so impressed! And proud!! Hahaha! I bet you loved it too, because this soup reads like a good book.
Hahaha, it is a really great soup and took a while to get right... I'm not sure you will be seeing tofu here too often but there are some places where it is perfect!
I've never thought to make my own hot & sour soup, but this seems easy (as long as I have everything ready)! And it looks perfect!! Bravo again Brian!
Defo get everything ready, I've tried prepping in the past as the cooking progresses and there just aint time and it always ends up in carnage!
My favourite restaurant soup! I've attempted this once at home and it came out well.
Yours looks fab, I also love how silky and smooth the texture of the homemade version is.
Nazneen
Thank you, it really is a wonderfully soothing soup!
Oh wow this is a restaurant favorite but I've never made it, thanks!!
Cheers Sue, it really is so simple... I think I over complicated things when I was working on this recipe but there really is no need 🙂
This hot and sour soup looks like it packs a flavour punch! I think I may have to make this soon
Thanks Bintu, it certainly does pack a punch.
I love Hot and Sour Soup. I'm going to need to try out your recipe.
Let me know your thoughts Cynthia, we love the stuff 🙂
Brian, this truly looks to die for. It can be hard to master restaurant-style asian food, but I think you've nailed it with this recipe! Pinning for later 🙂 p.s. lucky you living in rural Hungry!! I spent a week in Budapest last year with my husband an we adored it.
Thanks Sarah, I hop you enjoy the dish as much as we do! Budapest is a fabulous City, we probably visit half a dozen times a year but it is chaotic and noisy compared to our wee village of just 180 people 😉
I ADORE a good Hot and Sour soup! This recipe sounds fab! I'm pinning this for later this year as we are having a massive heat wave and the only soup I'll be eating is cold! 🙂 Thanks for a great recipe!
Cheers Christina, I love spicy food when it is hot... To put it crudely sweating is a great way to cool down and I find a healthy dose of chili really helps on that front 😉 If cold soups are your thing you should do a search for Hungarian Fruit Soups, crazy popular over here, not my thing but the locals swear by them on hot days!