Hot and sour soup – a traditional Chinese recipe for any occasion

Ingredients for 4 people:

  • 25 g dried black wood ear fungus
  • 4 dried Chinese mushrooms
  • 4 large fresh shiitake mushrooms
  • 1,25 litre chicken stock
  • 2 cm fresh ginger
  • 2 tablespoons light soy sauce
  • 1 ½ teaspoon sesame oil
  • 2 tablespoons Shaoxing rice wine
  • Salt
  • 1 small carrot
  • 1 spring onion
  • 1 small can of bamboo shoots (about 75 g)
  • 50 grams firm tofu
  • 2 eggs
  • 8 prawns
  • 2 tablespoons Chinese black rice vinegar
  • 75 ml regular vinegar
  • 1 ½ tablespoon cornflour
  • 2 to 3 teaspoons freshly ground white pepper
  • 3 to 4 sprigs of coriander
  1. Step 1: Prepare the mushrooms

    Soak the black wood ear fungus in cold water for 30 minutes. Drain and squeeze out the excess water. Then cut the fungus into thin strips and remove any tough bits.

    At the same time, soak the Chinese mushrooms in warm water for 30 minutes. Remove the mushrooms and pour the water through a sieve to eliminate any impurities. Set the sieved water aside. Then squeeze the mushrooms, remove the stems and cut them into fine strips.

    Finally, cut the fresh shiitake mushrooms into fine strips.

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  2. Step 2: More preparations

    Peel the ginger and carrot. Slice the ginger and cut the carrot into julienne. Rinse the bamboo shoots and cut them into julienne as well. Next, slice the spring onion, cut the tofu into cubes and beat the eggs. Then peel and cut the shrimp in half. Pluck the leaves from the coriander stalks.

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  3. Step 3: Flavour the chicken stock

    Heat the chicken stock together with the soaking water from the Chinese mushrooms, the ginger, the soaked mushrooms and the black wood ear fungus. Let this come to just below boiling point. Skim off any foam and leave to stand for 10 minutes.

    Add light soy sauce, ½ teaspoon sesame oil and rice wine. Taste and add salt as needed.

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  4. Step 4: finish off the hot and sour soup

    Add the shiitake strips and julienne of carrot and bamboo shoots to the flavoured stock. Simmer for 5 minutes.

    Then add the diced tofu and shrimp. Next, mix the black rice vinegar and regular vinegar into the broth. Slowly pour the beaten eggs into the soup in a thin stream, stirring them in to make thin threads of coagulated egg. Next, mix the cornflour with a little water, pour this into the soup and simmer until the soup is slightly thickened.

    Finally, mix in the white pepper and the sesame oil. 

    Divide the hot and sour soup between four deep bowls and garnish with spring onion and coriander leaves.

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After enjoying this delicious hot and sour soup, why not try another Asian dish? Discover the refreshing flavours of som tam, a spicy papaya salad from Thai cuisine.

Som tam: Thai green papaya salad made with the Laos mortar

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