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–+ servings
A bowl full of hot and sour soup.
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5 from 5 votes

Authentic Hot and Sour Soup

Authentic hot and sour soup is sour and spicy with flavors that will warm your body up and taste amazing!
Prep Time1 hour
Cook Time15 minutes
Total Time1 hour 15 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Chinese
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 191kcal
Author: Dana Rao

Ingredients

  • ¼ cup dried lily flower (optional, but highly recommended) sliced thinly
  • ¼ cup dried wood ear mushroom sliced thinly
  • ½ piece dried mandarin peel sliced very thinly
  • ½ cup bamboo shoots
  • ½ package soft tofu
  • 5 cups water
  • ⅓ cup low sodium soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoon dark soy sauce
  • 1½ tablespoon mushroom bouillon
  • 1 tablespoon sugar adjust according to your taste
  • 1.5 tablespoon sriracha hot sauce adjust according to your spice tolerance
  • 1 teaspoon white pepper adjust according to your spice tolerance
  • ½ cup white vinegar add an additional ¼ cup if you like more sour
  • 2 tablespoon sesame oil
  • corn starch slurry 2 tablespoons corn starch + ¼ cup water
  • 2 eggs beaten

Instructions

  • Soak wood ear mushrooms, lily flowers (optional), and the mandarin peel for 30 minutes to 1 hour. After soaking they should fluff up. Give them a rinse. Slice the mushroom and flowers thinly. Make sure to slice the mandarin peel very thinly!
  • Slice the tofu in strips. Set aside.
  • In a large pot, boil 5 cups of water on medium-high heat. Once the water is boiling, add the wood ear mushrooms, lily flowers, mandarin peel, tofu, and bamboo shoots. Cook for 5 minutes.
  • While the soup is cooking, beat two eggs and set aside. Make corn starch slurry by mixing 2 tablespoons of corn starch with ¼ cup water and set aside.
  • Start adding flavor to the soup. Add ⅓ cup low sodium soy sauce, 2 tablespoon dark soy sauce, 1.5 tablespoon mushroom bouillon, 1 tablespoon sugar, 1.5 tablespoon siracha hot sauce, 1 teaspoon white pepper, ½ cup white vinegar, and 2 tablespoons sesame oil. Mix everything together and cook for 3-5 minutes.
  • Mix cornstarch slurry and slowly add in the soup. Continue to stir while adding.
  • Add beaten eggs to the soup and continue to stir while adding. Serve while hot. Hope you enjoy!

Notes

    • Don’t Forget to Stir. As you’re adding the corn starch and egg it's important to stir continuously. The movement keeps the eggs from clumping together and helps you achieve the best soup consistency.
    • Use Soft Tofu. Silken or very soft tofu is the best option for a silky soup consistency.
    • Authentic Soup. If you are wanting to enjoy an authentic hot and sour soup I highly recommend using the ingredients as written in the recipe without any substitutions. But if necessary you will find some substitutions for dried lily flower, wood ear mushroom and mandarin peel in the post above.
    • Slicing the Ingredients. Slice the all the dried ingredients after they're soaked -- it will be much easier. Don't forget to slice the mandarin peel very thinly!

Nutrition

Calories: 191kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 82mg | Sodium: 1631mg | Potassium: 199mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 130IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 50mg | Iron: 2mg