Super Simple Hot and Sour Soup

Savory, tangy, and crazy easy to make, this Asian favorite tastes just as good at home as it does at the restaurant – and it’s completely adaptable to your own taste!

I have a confession to make… I LOVE hot & sour soup. The sad thing is, no one else in my family does. For me this means that I only get to enjoy it when we visit buffets. Unfortunately, with the ongoing coronavirus precautions, almost all of the buffets are closed. This pandemic is really cramping my style! Go away, Covid!

So I did the next best thing. I researched about 20 different recipes for hot and sour soup and I made modifications until I got it to the best version that was simple and easy but still tasted just like buffet hot & sour soup. This recipe makes approximately 7 cups which is about 3 good sized servings or 4 normal servings. I divide it and freeze it and that way, I can enjoy it whenever I want. Although I will admit that I am still sad about buffets, I keep telling myself this is not forever, right? Please don’t let this be forever…. In the meantime, this recipe sure helps me get my fix of hot & sour soup.

How to make Super Simple Hot and Sour Soup

There are so many variations and adaptations that you can apply to this recipe – I’ll touch on my favorite ones but this recipe offers the freedom to add more or less of whatever suits you!

The base of the soup is 6 cups of chicken broth. This does not have to be anything fancy. I use whatever I have on hand, like frozen chicken stock, a carton of chicken stock, canned chicken stock or I just mix up boullion powder with boiling water. Seriously, NOT fancy. Low sodium chicken broth can be substituted as well.

I guess this is a good time to tell you that I don’t actually like tofu. I know a lot of people do but I am not one of them. So in this recipe, because I was making it for me, I left it out and doubled the amount of pork.

This meant that I used a pound of pork, and once I cut it into thin strips, 1/4 inch thick by about 2 inches long, I had about 1 cup of pork slices. (4 ounces of tofu cut into chunks is about 1/2 cup). You want about 1 cup of protein, whatever you choose, in this soup.

In a large saucepan over high heat, bring the chicken broth to a boil. Add the pork strips (and tofu if you’re including it) and return to a boil.

Reduce the heat to medium, cover and simmer for about 5 minutes until the pork is cooked through.

Stir in mushrooms, cover and simmer for an additional 10 minutes.

Increase heat to medium-high and uncover. Stir water into cornstarch in a small bowl until the water is completely incorporated.

Add vinegar, soy sauce, Sriracha and pepper to the cornstarch mixture and stir until well combined.

Add the mixture into the saucepan, stirring until it comes to a boil and the broth becomes slightly thickened.

In a small bowl, lightly beat the egg with a fork and then add it slowly to the boiling soup in a thin stream, stirring constantly until fine egg threads form.

Add bamboo shoots and green onions to the soup and stir well.

Serve immediately with optional extra Sriracha for those of us that like to increase the heat.

You can store any uneaten hot and sour soup in the refrigerator for 2-3 days, or in the freezer for several weeks. Reheat hot and sour soup in a medium saucepan over medium heat until warmed through. Enjoy!

Other Asian Inspired Favorites You May Like:

Almost Asian Stir Fry – a crazy premade ingredient helps this satisfying family dinner come together in minutes!

Asian Beef Skewers with Peanut Sauce – you can’t go wrong with grilled, marinated meat served on sticks and a tasty sauce on the side. Yum!

Asian Ginger Salad Dressing – light, fresh and flavorful – the perfect dressing for a simple side salad!

Get the Printable Recipe Here

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