Hot and sour soup can be found on any takeout menu or Chinese buffet line in the US. It ranges in quality and flavor from awesomely delicious to lukewarm, tasteless, and gloopy.
There was a time when I never thought to make it myself and resigned myself to the luck of the draw when it came to ordering it. So imagine my surprise when my dad said he not only knew how to make it, he had a family recipe for it.
This hot and sour soup recipe is the best hot and sour soup I’ve had. And I’m not just saying that! A big part of it is…when you make it at home, you can control heat and sourness levels yourself. I’m crazy for anything with vinegar in it. If you’re like me, you can add some more vinegar to your bowl. If you like it hotter, add more white pepper.
This soup is like…the most authentic take-out hot and sour soup you’ve ever had, and yet…WAY better than all those take-out places combined. See for yourself!
Note: This Recipe was originally published in October 2013. We have updated it with new photos, clearer instructions, more precise measurements, an old family picture(!) and a RECIPE VIDEO (scroll down) though the recipe remains the same, for everyone who already loves it!
What Makes Our Hot & Sour Soup Recipe Authentic
My grandparents owned a takeout restaurant.
It was called Sun Hing. They set up shop in a pretty rough New Jersey neighborhood, where my grandfather would churn out his famed fried chicken wings, shrimp with lobster sauce, and fried rice.
Over the years at The Woks of Life, we have covered how to make many of these Chinese takeout classics. While I find that many takeout restaurants today are heavy on the grease while skimping on flavor, our goal is to really do each dish justice.
My dad and mom brushed up on old skills and recipes from our family’s restaurant days to record recipes on the blog like this hot and sour soup.
Our Stance on Chinese Takeout
I’m Chinese, and I must say, I love American Chinese takeout food. If you’ve ever wondered about our stance on the Peking Kitchens, Hunan Gardens, and Jade Palaces of the world––whether we relegate these operations’ offerings to just late-night fodder or not “real” Chinese food––I can tell you that while we love sharing authentic, traditional Chinese recipes, we also love covering recipes for Hot and Sour Soup, Sesame Chicken, and other dishes you may find yourself craving at inappropriate hours of the day.
Because although some of these dishes may be a little more Daniel Boone than they are Confucius, they have a place in our culinary hearts. And there’s an art to doing these dishes right.
A Note on the Ingredients in This Hot & Sour Soup Recipe
There are a couple funky ingredients in this recipe that aren’t exactly on every grocery store shelf in America, like these dried shiitake mushrooms or dried lily flowers:
But this will give you a good excuse to really get to know your local Asian market and/or discover the wealth of possibilities that lie in online shopping.
If you’re unsure about what a certain ingredient is, simply click the link on that ingredient in the recipe card below. That will take you to our Chinese Ingredients Glossary, which will provide a description of the ingredient, as well as a photo that you can show the staff at your local Asian market to help you find it.
Just make sure that you prepare all the ingredients ahead of time for this soup, because when you start cooking, it comes together really quickly and easily!
Hot & Sour Soup: Recipe Instructions
(Scroll down to the recipe card for full list of ingredients.)
1. Prepare your pork:
Combine the 4 oz. julienned pork shoulder with 1 tablespoon water until the meat has absorbed the water. Add a pinch of salt, 2 teaspoons vegetable oil, and 1 teaspoon cornstarch and mix until combined. Set aside.
2. Prepare your dry ingredients:
Cut the dried chilies in half and discard the seeds. Mince them up and set aside.
In separate bowls, soak the dried lily flowers, wood ears, and shiitake mushrooms in 1 cup of water each for 1-2 hours, until hydrated. Using hot water (like you’re brewing tea) will significantly speed up the process.
Once they’re ready, thinly slice the mushrooms and give the wood ears a rough chop. Trim the tough ends off the lily flowers and cut them in half.
3. Prepare the tofu and the rest of the ingredients:
Cut both the spiced tofu and the firm tofu into 2-inch long and ¼-inch thick pieces. Julienne the bamboo shoots. Beat the egg in a small bowl. Wash and chop the scallion and set aside.
4. Assemble the soup:
Bring the chicken stock to a boil in a wok or pot. If the pork has clumped and stuck together, it is best to add another tablespoon of water to loosen it up before adding it to the soup.
Stir in the pork and quickly break up any clumps that may form. Once the soup is simmering again, skim off any foam that floats to the top with a fine meshed strainer.
Add the salt, sugar, dried chili pepper (if using), white pepper, both soy sauces, and sesame oil.
Next, add the lily flowers, wood ears, shiitake mushrooms and bamboo shoots and bring the soup to a simmer once again.
Next, add the two kinds of tofu and the vinegar and stir. It should start to look and smell like the real thing about now!
Combine the ⅓ cup cornstarch with ¼ cup water to make a slurry. Ensure it’s well-combined, as the cornstarch tends to settle to the bottom of the bowl.
Bring the mixture to a simmer and use your soup ladle to stir the soup in a steady circular motion to make a whirlpool while slowly drizzling in the cornstarch slurry. This prevents the cornstarch from clumping. Stop when you’re about ¾ of the way done with your slurry and keep stirring until the soup comes back up to a simmer.
Check the consistency of the soup, as it should be thick enough to coat your spoon or ladle. Add the rest of the cornstarch slurry if you like it thicker. For more detailed information on the many ways to use cornstarch to get authentic results at home with our recipes, see our post on How to Use Cornstarch in Chinese Cooking.
5. Taste and adjust to the way YOU like it:
Once the soup is the thickness you prefer, use a spoon to check its flavor and adjust things to your own personal preference. Add more white pepper if you like it hot and add more vinegar if like it sour! White pepper gives the soup its signature heat, and the vinegar levels can be adjusted according to how sour you like your hot and sour soup.
Keep the soup simmering (it should be bubbling before you add the egg, or the soup will turn cloudy when the egg is added), and begin stirring in a circular motion with your ladle once again. Once you get the soup moving in a slowly swirling motion, slowly drizzle the beaten egg into the soup. The swirling motion must be fast enough so the egg does not clump, but slow enough so you create egg ribbons, or beautiful swirls of egg “flowers” (which is what the Chinese call it).
Serve your hot and sour soup garnished with chopped scallions!
If you like this Hot and Soup, then try our Easy Egg Drop Soup and our Chicken & Corn Egg Drop Soup! We also have a really great simple Wonton Soup recipe, if you’re looking to complete that trifecta of takeout soup recipes!
Watch Video!
Hot and Sour Soup – A Chinese Takeout “Standard”
Ingredients
For the pork & marinade:
- 4 oz. pork shoulder (finely julienned)
- 1 tablespoon water
- Pinch of salt
- 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
For the soup:
- 1 to 2 dried red chili peppers (optional)
- 0.3 ounce dried lily flower (rehydrated, ½ cup after rehydrating)
- 0.3 ounce dried wood ear mushrooms (1/2 cup after rehydrating & slicing)
- 0.3 ounce dried shiitake mushrooms (1/2 cup after rehydrating & slicing)
- 3 ounces spiced dry tofu
- 4 ounces fresh firm tofu
- 4 ounces bamboo shoots
- 1 large egg
- 1 scallion (finely diced)
- 8 cups low sodium chicken stock
- ½ teaspoon salt (or to taste)
- ¼ teaspoon sugar
- 1 to 2 teaspoons fresh ground white pepper (or to taste)
- 2 teaspoons dark soy or mushroom soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon light soy sauce or seasoned soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1/3 to ½ cup white vinegar
- 1/3 cup cornstarch
- ¼ cup water
Instructions
Prepare your pork:
- Combine the 4 oz. julienned pork shoulder with 1 tablespoon water until the meat has absorbed the water. Add a pinch of salt, 2 teaspoons vegetable oil, and 1 teaspoon cornstarch and mix until combined. Set aside.
Prepare your dry ingredients:
- Cut the dried chilies in half and discard the seeds. Mince them up and set aside.
- In separate bowls, soak the dried lily flowers, wood ears, and shiitake mushrooms in 1 cup of water each for 1-2 hours, until hydrated. Using hot water (like you’re brewing tea) will significantly speed up the process.
- Once they’re ready, thinly slice the mushrooms and give the wood ears a rough chop. Trim the tough ends off the lily flowers and cut them in half.
Prepare the tofu and the rest of the ingredients:
- Cut both the spiced tofu and the firm tofu into 2-inch long and ¼-inch thick pieces. Julienne the bamboo shoots. Beat the egg in a small bowl. Wash and chop the scallion and set aside.
Assemble the soup:
- Bring the chicken stock to a boil in a wok or pot. If the pork has clumped and stuck together, it is best to add another tablespoon of water to loosen it up before adding it to the soup.
- Stir in the pork and quickly break up any clumps that may form. Once the soup is simmering again, skim off any foam that floats to the top with a fine meshed strainer.
- Add the salt, sugar, dried chili pepper (if using), white pepper, both soy sauces, and sesame oil.
- Next, add the lily flowers, wood ears, shiitake mushrooms and bamboo shoots and bring the soup to a simmer once again.
- Next, add the two kinds of tofu and the vinegar and stir. It should start to look and smell like the real thing about now!
- Combine the ⅓ cup cornstarch with ¼ cup water to make a slurry. Ensure it’s well-combined, as the cornstarch tends to settle to the bottom of the bowl.
- Bring the mixture to a simmer and use your soup ladle to stir the soup in a steady circular motion to make a whirlpool while slowly drizzling in the cornstarch slurry. This prevents the cornstarch from clumping. Stop when you’re about ¾ of the way done with your slurry and keep stirring until the soup comes back up to a simmer.
- Check the consistency of the soup, as it should be thick enough to coat your spoon or ladle. Add the rest of the cornstarch slurry if you like it thicker.
Adjust seasoning:
- Once the soup is the thickness you prefer, use a spoon to check its flavor and adjust things to your own personal preference. Add more white pepper if you like it hot and add more vinegar if like it sour! White pepper gives the soup its signature heat, and the vinegar levels can be adjusted according to how sour you like your hot and sour soup.
- Keep the soup simmering (it should be bubbling before you add the egg, or the soup will turn cloudy when the egg is added), and begin stirring in a circular motion with your ladle once again. Once you get the soup moving in a slowly swirling motion, slowly drizzle the beaten egg into the soup.
- Serve your hot and sour soup garnished with chopped scallions!
The recipe here compared to the recipe in your Top 25 e-book recipes varies considerably in the number of servings (even though the amount of stock is identical), the amount of vinegar, white pepper, and other ingredients. Which recipe is correct?
This is the most updated recipe, Richard, though they are the same recipe.
This is favorite soup and I loved this recipe! It turned out fantastic, even though I couldn’t find a couple ingredients and left them out.
Great to hear, Mary!
I’ve been looking for an authentic recipe and I found it! Excellent….this is a keeper.
Thanks Lori!
I was pleasantly surprised how tasty this hot and sour soup turned out! This is definitely better than some restaurant versions. Thank you so much.
You’re welcome, Jocelyn!
This recipe is fantastic. I changed it up by adding shrimp instead of pork, but wow. I’ve been wanting a recipe for authentic h/s soup for decades. Thanks so much. My husband praised it endlessly. I want to buy a dead-tree recipe book!
Thank you! We have a cookbook coming out this fall. :)
Was great…I followed the recipe as written and was better than my local Chinese restaurant …I’ve made this before using other recipes but this was the best so far…maybe the lily flowers and wood ears!
Thank you, Cathi!
I’m newly pregnant and Hot + Sour soup is my BIGGEST craving! I love being able to make it at home and tinker with the recipe to appease my personal taste (extra hot, extra sour, extra bamboo!) <3
Nice!!! :) Congrats on your bun in the oven!
Was craving hot and sour soup for the longest, found this recipe and tried. Wow it’s amazing taste. I just put too much white pepper. Taste burning to my throat but it’s okay.
Glad you enjoyed it Dee!
We just made this soup for the second time and enjoyed it just as much. Our first effort lacked all the ingredients, but it was still wonderful. This time we added the lily flower and wood ear mushrooms, which made it even better. It easily competes with all the home-delivery Chinese restaurants that we had in NYC.
Thank you! :)
Just found your page. I will try this recipe. We have a great Asian market. I just didn’t know what to look for.. The recipe looks awesome, and as I finish a bowl of Take out hot and Sour (which is good) I was not sure what made heat and what made sour. Now thanks to your writing and experience. I am ready to go for making my own. The soup is really a pick me up on a cold day.
You’re going to love it, Perry!
I made this today and it was better than any hot and sour soup I ever got out! Thank you so much. I love this site and this recipe. It has been such a pleasure to follow these recipes and read all of the stories. Thank you for sharing.
You’re very welcome, Chris!
This soup is the best I have ever eaten I would love to try and make this.it is good for the body.when I feel sick all I have to do is eat some of this soup. I feel better fast . Thank you
You’re welcome, Rita!