I love spicy food and sour food! My mom and I are always joking that we love hot and sour food so much that whenever we order hot and sour soup at restaurants, we always add extra white pepper to spice it up and a lot of black vinegar for an extra-sour taste! Hot and sour soup is super filling. There are so many proteins and vegetables in it that you can easily enjoy this as a full meal. –Tiffy Chen, TikTok content creator (@tiffycooks) and author of Tiffy Cooks: 88 Easy Asian Recipes from My Family to Yours, out February 27, 2024

Hot and Sour Soup

Tiffy Chen shares her recipe for traditional hot and sour soup.

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Course Main Course, Soup

Cuisine Chinese, Taiwanese

Servings 4

Ingredients

¼ cup black vinegar more as needed
3 tbsp light soy sauce
2 tsp ground white pepper more as needed
1 tsp sugar
2 cups thinly sliced shiitake mushrooms
½ cup thinly sliced peeled carrot
½ cup canned bamboo shoots drained, rinsed and thinly sliced
5 cups vegetable stock or chicken stock
1 pkg (14 oz/396g) soft or medium-firm tofu cut crosswise into thin strips
2 tbsp cornstarch
¼ cup cold water
2 eggs beaten
chopped fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems for garnish

Instructions

In a small bowl, stir together the black vinegar, light soy sauce, white pepper, and sugar. Add more white pepper (spice) and/or black vinegar (sour), if desired.
In a large pot, combine the mushrooms, carrots, bamboo shoots and vegetable stock. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until the carrots start to soften. Gently add the tofu and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes, until the tofu is slightly browned. Pour in the sauce and simmer for 1 to 2 minutes, until fragrant.
Meanwhile, in a small measuring cup, stir together the cornstarch and water until smooth.
Pour the cornstarch mixture into the pot. Stir well to ensure the cornstarch does not settle at the bottom of the pot. Simmer for 1 minute, or until the soup is thicker. Remove from the heat.
Using a ladle, stir the soup in one direction. While stirring, slowly drizzle in the beaten eggs from 8 inches above the pot. This prevents the eggs from curdling and separating. Let sit for 30 seconds – do not stir. After 30 seconds use the ladle to gently stir the eggs into the soup.
Garnish with the cilantro and serve immediately.