Chinese Hot and Sour Soup 酸辣湯
This classic Chinese Hot and Sour Soup 酸辣湯 is always on the menu at Chinese restaurants, its bold contrast of sour and spicy and loads of delicious bits of flavors and textures in a thickened broth make it a perennial favorite with all Chinese food lovers.
- Prep time
- 15 min
- Cook time
- 20 min
- Yield
- 5 servings
- Difficulty
- HARD
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 5 oz pork loin 141g
- 2 tsp soy sauce
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp corn starch
- 6 1/2 oz deshelled shrimps, 180g
- 4 large dried shitake mushrooms 冬菇
- 8 dried small wood fungus ears 木耳
- 1/2 cup bamboo shoots 竹筍, 75 g
- 11 oz soft tofu, 300g
- 500 ml Chicken stock
- 500 ml water
- 2 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tsp dark soy sauce
- 1 tsp sugar
- 2 tbsp hot bean sauce Doubanjiang 辣豆瓣酱
- 2 tbsp of corn starch (dissolved in 1/4 cup water)
- 1 egg, beaten
- 2 tbsp Chinkiang black vinegar 鎭江香醋
- 1 tbsp white vinegar
- 1/2-1 tsp ground white pepper
- salt to taste
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1 tbsp cilantro, roughly chopped
Instructions
- 1
Slice pork to 1/4 inch thick strips. Marinate in small bowl with 2 tsp light soy sauce, 1 tsp sugar, and 1 tsp corn starch. Defrost shrimp if using frozen shrimp.
- 2
Soak mushrooms in hot water for half an hour or until soft enough to slice. Squeeze mushrooms and slice to matchsticks, reserving the soaking water. Soak fungus in cool water until rehydrated, slice off any hard nubs, then slice into matchsticks.
- 3
Slice bamboo shoots into matchsticks. If using pickled bamboo shoots, rinse off the marination sauce first. Slice the soft tofu into matchsticks, remembering to slice straight thru without sawing and always lifting the tofu by sliding knife under and then lifting.
- 4
Heat 1-2 tbsp oil in wok. Add in pork and stir fry 1 minute. Add in shrimp, stir fry 30 secs. Add in mushrooms, fungus and bamboo shoots and stir fry for another minute. Pour chicken stock, reserved mushroom soaking water and water into wok and heat to a boil. Turn heat down and let simmer for 15 minutes.
- 5
Add in light soy sauce, dark soy sauce and bean paste. Carefully slip in the tofu. Let simmer another 3 mins.
- 6
Give the starch and water mixture a good stir and then pour all at once into soup, stirring gently for a minute until the soup thickens.
- 7
Drizzle beaten egg into wok in a thin stream, drizzling in a zig zag or spiral pattern. The egg will immediately 'flower' in the soup.
- 8
Turn off the heat and add in the black vinegar, white vinegar and white pepper. Give the soup a stir. Taste test, adding salt if necessary.
- 9
Add in sesame oil and a final stir, sprinkle with chopped cilantro and serve hot. Enjoy your hot and sour!