Make My Day Camp: Hot and Sour Soup

Wednesday, January 17, 2024

Hot and Sour Soup

I love hot and sour soup but have never made it - I'm sorry it took me this long because it isn't difficult at all and it's DELICIOUS! I had all of the ingredients on hand other than bamboo shoots so I just left them out, I think the texture they would add would be good but this is great without them so do what you want regarding adding or not. I used chicken broth, sliced baby bella mushrooms, and cooked ground pork just FYI. Don't know how much veggie broth, shiitakes, and tofu would change the outcome. I also was worried about how spicy chili garlic sauce was going to be so I started with 1/2 t. and ended up adding more (and more vinegar too). Yum.

8 cups chicken broth (or vegetable broth)
8 ounces shiitake mushrooms (or baby bella mushrooms), thinly-sliced, discard the stems
1 (8 ounce) can bamboo shoots, drained (optional)
1/4 cup rice vinegar, or more to taste
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
2 t. ground ginger
1 t. chili garlic sauce (or to taste)
1/4 cup cornstarch
2 large eggs, whisked
8 ounces firm tofu, cut into 1/2" cubes (or cooked ground pork)
4 green onions, thinly sliced (divided)
1 t. toasted sesame oil
salt and pepper to taste

Set aside 1/4 cup of the broth for later use.

Add the remaining 7 3/4 cups broth, mushrooms, bamboo shoots (if using), rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, ginger, and chili garlic sauce to a large stock pot , and stir to combine. Heat over medium-high heat until the soup starts to simmer.

While the soup is heating, whisk together the 1/4 cup or broth that you had set aside, and cornstarch in a small bowl until completely smooth. Once the soup has reached a simmer, stir in the cornstarch mixture and stir for 1 minute or so until the soup has thickened.

Continue stirring the soup in a circular motion, then drizzle in the eggs in a thin stream (while still stirring the soup) to create egg ribbons. Stir in the tofu or cooked pork, half of the green onions, and sesame oil. Then season the soup with salt and pepper to taste. If you'd like a more 'sour' soup, feel free to add in another tablespoon or two of rice vinegar; or if you'd like a spicier soup, add in more chili garlic sauce.

Serve immediately, garnished with the extra green onions.