Hot and Sour Soup
A traditional Chinese soup of shredded pork, mushrooms, bamboo shoots, and silky egg ribbons in a tangy, peppery broth thickened with cornstarch.
- 3 dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked in hot water and thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup dried wood ear mushrooms, soaked in hot water and shredded
- 50g pork shreds
- 4 bamboo shoots, finely shredded
- 1/3 carrot, shredded
- 1 thumb ginger, shredded
- 2 teaspoons fresh ground white pepper powder
- 5 cups unsalted chicken stock
- 50g soft tofu
- 2 tablespoons light soy sauce (or soy sauce)
- 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
- 1/2 tablespoon sugar
- 1 large egg, whisked
- 3 tablespoons black vinegar
- Sesame oil, for drizzling
- Chopped green onion and coriander, for garnish
- 2 teaspoons light soy sauce (for marinating the pork)
- 1/4 teaspoon sugar (for marinating the pork)
- 1 teaspoon starch (for marinating the pork)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt (for marinating the pork)
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch or other starch (for the starch water)
- 3 tablespoons water (for the starch water)
- Prepare the pork by marinating the shreds with the light soy sauce, sugar, salt, and cornstarch listed for marinating. Mix well and set aside — this thin coating helps keep the pork tender and silky once it hits the hot soup.
- In a wok, combine the shredded carrot, bamboo shoots, wood ear mushroom, shiitake mushroom, and ginger. Add the chicken stock, bring to a boil, and then reduce to a simmer for 15 minutes to let the vegetables soften and the flavors build.
- Stir in the light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, sugar, and salt. Continue cooking for 2 minutes.
- Add the shredded tofu, then add the marinated pork shreds, gently stirring with chopsticks once the soup returns to a boil.
- Stir the starch water to recombine it, then pour it into the soup, stirring constantly as it thickens.
- Drizzle in the whisked egg in a thin stream. For smaller, finer egg ribbons, stir the soup at a faster speed as you pour; for larger, thicker ribbons, stir more slowly and roughly.
- Stir in the black vinegar and white ground pepper, then turn off the heat immediately — cooking the vinegar too long dulls its sharp, tangy character.
- Finish with chopped green onion and coriander, drizzle with sesame oil, and serve hot.
Chef's Note: The way you stir while adding the whisked egg genuinely controls the texture of the finished soup — stir briskly for delicate, fine egg ribbons, or more slowly for bigger, cloud-like flowers, so it's worth experimenting to find the texture you prefer. Adding the black vinegar and white pepper right at the end, then killing the heat immediately, preserves their sharp, punchy flavor; letting them simmer any longer mutes the tang that gives this soup its name.
Marinating the pork shreds briefly in soy sauce, sugar, salt, and a touch of starch — a technique called velveting — is what keeps the meat tender rather than tough after simmering in hot broth. If dried wood ear mushrooms or black vinegar aren't in your pantry, most Asian grocery stores carry both, and they're worth seeking out for the most authentic texture and flavor.
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