I know. I’m a little behind the Chinese New Year ball with this one.
But what I’m not behind on is posting a weather appropriate soup recipe.
It is still FREEZING out there.
If I need to keep hibernating I think I’m gonna lose it. Fortunately, I’ve been able to rely on warm delicious things in bowls to keep my sanity in check.
This soup 100% qualifies. My friends and family are safe for one more day.
Hot and sour soup is one of my all time favourite takeout dishes. Most chinese restaurants (and occasionally some thai) offer their own version. The degree of success varies…drastically.
I’ve never attempted my own version because I assumed the ingredients wouldn’t be easily accessible. I have never ever seen wood ear mushrooms at the supermarket. Canned bamboo shoots I have occasionally come across, but they’re not everywhere.
This version only includes ingredients you can find at most major supermarkets. I’ve used fresh shiitake instead of wood ear mushrooms, which also have a very satisfying texture. I’ve also subbed shredded carrots for bamboo shoots. While they impart a different flavour, they’re an ideal substitute for bamboo’s crunchy texture.
When prepping fresh shiitakes, clean the tops with a damp cloth or paper towel and remove the woody stems before slicing.
Once the ingredients are prepped, which itself is minimal, this soup comes together in about 10 minutes too.
Bam. Faster than takeout.
Erin
Hot and Sour Soup
Serves | 4 |
Prep time | 10 minutes |
Cook time | 10 minutes |
Total time | 20 minutes |
Website | Slightly adapted from Closet Cooking |
Ingredients
- 900ml vegetable broth (or chicken)
- 115g fresh shiitake mushrooms (stems removed and sliced)
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- 200g extra firm tofu (about ¾ of a package, sliced into ¼ inch pieces)
- 2 cloves garlic (minced or grated)
- 2 teaspoons fresh ginger (grated)
- 3 tablespoons seasoned rice wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons sriracha hot sauce
- 2 tablespoons corn starch (mixed with 2 Tbsp cold water)
- 2 large eggs (lightly beaten)
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 3 green onions (sliced thinly)
Directions
1. | Bring broth, mushrooms, carrots, tofu, garlic, ginger, vinegars, soy sauce and sriracha to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. |
2. | Stir in cornstarch mixture. Simmer until thickened, about 2 minutes. While stirring slowly add eggs to soup in a thin stream. |
3. | Add sesame oil, green onions and serve. |
This post was inspired by a request from Open Table to collaborate with them by re-creating one of our favourite restaurant meals at home. Recipe makeovers are totes our MO and obviously, we didn’t hesitate for a second.
FYI, as always, this is pro-bono work for us as we don’t make any dolla bills from writing this blog. We just love y’all that much and want to continue to inspire you folks to COOK!
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Anonymous says
OH, I’m inspired all right, but right now my biggest detriment to trying this recipe is, not being able to get some of the ingredients. Absolutely TOO COLD, is my MAIN reason for not having ALL the ingredients in the house!…..GREAT sounding recipe though! Thanks for sharing, Erin.