Joanne Chang's Hot and Sour Soup
Author Notes: Restaurants and recipes for hot & sour soup invariably use cornstarch as a thickener, but it doesn't have to be that way. Yes, cornstarch plumps up the broth, but in doing so puts a hazy, viscous layer between us and the sour, spicy sting we crave. Chang's version is thickened with egg instead and makes a number of other smart updates without compromising what we love about the classic. From Flour, Too (Chronicle Books, 2013). —Genius Recipes
Serves: 4 to 6
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 25 min
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2
tablespoons vegetable oil
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1
garlic clove, smashed and minced
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1
tablespoon minced fresh ginger
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4
scallions, white and green parts, minced, plus more for garnish
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8
ounces ground pork
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4
cups store-bought or homemade chicken stock
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1
pound soft or firm tofu (not silken and not extra firm), cut into 1/2-inch cubes
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4
medium button mushrooms, wiped clean and thinly sliced (or substitute dried, rehydrated wood ear mushrooms)
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1
teaspoon granulated sugar
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2/3
cup rice vinegar, or to taste
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3
tablespoons soy sauce, or to taste
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1
teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
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1
tablespoon sesame oil, plus more for garnish
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1
tablespoon Sriracha sauce, or to taste
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2
large eggs
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1
pinch White or black pepper for garnish
- In the saucepan, heat the vegetable oil over medium-high heat until hot. Add the garlic, ginger, scallions, and pork and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 1 minute. You want to break up the pork into smaller pieces with a spoon, but don’t worry about breaking it down completely or cooking it through.
- Add the stock and bring to a simmer. Add the tofu, mushrooms, sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, black pepper, sesame oil, and Sriracha sauce and bring the soup back to a simmer over medium-high heat. Taste the soup. If you want it hotter, add more Sriracha sauce; if you want it more sour, add more vinegar.
- In a small bowl, whisk the eggs until blended. With the soup at a steady simmer, slowly whisk in the eggs so they form strands. Bring the soup back to a simmer. Divide the soup among 4 to 6 bowls and garnish each with a little sesame oil, scallion, and white or black pepper. Serve immediately. (Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. The soup may take on a slightly different appearance, but it will taste just the same.)
- This recipe is a Community Pick!
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I have made this over and over. Perfect every time, and my kids favorite. Only problem is you will never order it out again!
I have made this several times and always omit the pork while opting for vegetable broth and extra shrooms. While the ingredient list can seem a bit long, this comes together so quickly and I find myself slurping up every last drop in my bowl. Delicious.
This was was so delicious and easy! Used ground chicken instead of pork, added spinach and forgot the egg portion and it was still delicious. Thank you!
This recipe really caught my eye! I´ll be sure to try it out! Delish!
Really enjoyed this--on the second day. I was trying to make this vegan and omitted eggs on day one. Added eggs on day two--and I think the flavors blended more. I did not use pork. Used homemade vegetable broth instead of chicken broth. I also added in slivered red pepper, doubled the mushrooms and added pea shoots. I will reduce Sriracha to 2 tsp next time.
Instead of pork or tofu, I used leftover Thanksgiving turkey! Doubled the mushrooms, added 2 cups water and 1 tbsp (vs. 1 tsp) sugar ~ by mistake. Still ended up delicious. Thank You for Sharing!
YUMMM Enjoying a bowl right now! Easy, authentic and crazy good!
YUMMM Enjoying a bowl right now! Easy, authentic and crazy good!
Excellent recipe - added slightly more garlic (as I usually do to recipes), but otherwise followed to a T. Suggest crispy won tons to top! :)
This recipe is perfection. My grade schoolers even love it and we look forward to it on a cold, rainy day!
Knockout recipe! You know it's good when you forget an ingredient (the tofu, embarrasingly) and a garnish (scallions, used 'em all in Step 1) and your much-better-cook-than-you boyfriend still goes nuts for it! So delicious, so easy, and picking up tofu tomorrow to add to the leftovers!
Made it exactly as written! Amazing!!!!! And how lucky are we, her Myers and Chang restaurant in Boston is just a few blocks away from us in Boston. It is like the one served in her restaurant.
Just made this and it was absolutely delicious, just like in a Chinese restaurant. I used sliced pork from some chops I had lying around instead of ground pork, and also added bamboo shoots and it was perfect. I froze the leftovers so it remains to be seen whether the veg and tofu withstand the freezing/thawing...
I've always loved the flavor of hot and sour soup but the goopy consistency, not so much. This recipe solved that problem and was absolutely delicious. Also super quick and easy. I followed the recipe almost exactly, just swapping mushroom broth for the chicken and only using 1/2 cup rice vinegar because that's all I had. My family devoured it! Next time, a double batch...
Didn't have some of the ingredients on hand, but made this tonight subbing a lot of mushrooms for the pork and tofu. We also caramelized leeks in the oven with some of the sauces (olive oil, sriracha, vinegar and soya sauce), and added the leeks, hard boiled eggs, and tapioca noodles just before serving. Fantastic.
I use Pacific Foods mushroom broth as my base. I also add a lot of veggies to bulk it up and make it as free-standing meal~ bamboo strips, bok choy, bean sprouts (as garnish) and chopped snow peas. This is truly one of my favorite recipes and am quite glad my kids aren't fans! More for me!
I also add a GENEROUS amount of Five Spice. I grind my own so it isn't nearly as costly as buying it at the grocery.
add thin strips of bamboo shoots and you are good to go!
eating this as we speak. Made the recipe exactly as written and love it
This looks really good! Will it keep for one or two days or not so much because of the eggs?
Kristen is the Creative Director of Food52
Hi Ellen, it will keep just fine for a couple days in the fridge -- sorry for the delay.
has anyone made this vegan with veg broth and no pork, any suggested substitutes
This would be delicious vegetarian or vegan. Add more mushrooms to amp up the umami.
I use tempeh instead of pork and use lots of mushrooms. I also add bean sprouts, bamboo shoots and sometimes baby corn. We're not vegan but my husband does NOT like egg in soup so I always leave it out. They always say it is the best hot and sour soup ever.
I use Pacific Foods Mushroom Broth in place of the chicken broth. I love the earthy flavor with the soup.
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