Chicken Hot and Sour Soup

Ingredients you need

There are quite a few ingredients in this Hot and Sour Soup recipe, but each plays an important role. Most are easy to find in the supermarket. Here’s what you need to make this spicy soup:

• Chicken: I use boneless, skinless chicken thighs because they are flavorful and stay very tender. You can substitute chicken breasts if that’s what you have, or use pork.
• Cornstarch: Use this in the chicken marinade to tenderize the chicken. You’ll also make a cornstarch slurry by mixing it with water to thicken the broth at the end of the cooking time.
• Salt: I use a basic kosher salt. The important thing is to use salt without additives.
• Chicken stock: I like to use a homemade Chinese Chicken Stock, but you can substitute a storebought chicken broth or any basic homemade chicken broth.
• Ginger: Use fresh ginger root. Peel it and mince it with a very sharp knife.
• Chiles: You can use fresh chiles or dried chiles. I have a prolific serrano chile plant in my garden that has beautiful, very spicy chiles year round, so that’s what I use. You can use Thai chiles or any type of hot dried red chile.
• White pepper: White pepper starts with the same berries as black pepper. The berries are picked before their ripe and then dried to make black pepper. To make white pepper, however, the berries are picked when they’re fully ripe, soaked in water, and fermented to remove the outer layer. The flavor of white pepper is distinct from that of black pepper—it has the same heat, but with a bit of funkiness from the fermentation. You can buy white pepper in supermarkets or Asian markets, or online. I like to use ground white pepper because it comes very finely ground, which is just what you want for this soup.
• Shiitake mushrooms: These add texture and umami. You can use sliced fresh shiitakes or use dried shiitake mushrooms that have been soaked in warm water for about 30 minutes and then drained and sliced.
• Woodear mushrooms: These squiggly black mushrooms are also called black fungus. You can often find them fresh in Asian markets. If not, you can use dried woodear mushrooms that have been soaked in warm water for about 30 minutes and then drained and sliced.
• Tofu: You can use any tofu here. I use medium or firm tofu because they are easier to handle for slicing than softer varieties.
• Bamboo shoots: You can buy julienned bamboo shoots in a can. Drain well before using. If you can’t find the julienned bamboo shoots, you can use sliced bamboo shoots and cut them into matchstick pieces.
• Soy sauce: You can use regular soy sauce or lower-sodium soy sauce.
• Vinegar: Use distilled white vinegar here. You want vinegar with a sharp bite. Rice vinegar is too mild for this soup.
• Salt and Sugar: I use kosher salt and regular granulated sugar.
• Eggs: Use 3 large eggs, lightly beaten with a whisk or fork before adding to the soup.
• Green onions: These are an optional garnish. I also sometimes like to garnish my bowl with a bit of chilli oil for extra heat.

How to make it

1. Toss the chicken pieces with some cornstarch, water, and salt. This both seasons and tenderizes the chicken. Let stand for 10 to 15 minutes.
2. In a large pot, simmer the broth, ginger, chiles, and white pepper.
3. Add the chicken and simmer for 10 minutes or so.
4. Add the tofu, mushrooms, bamboo shoots, soy sauce, salt, sugar, vinegar, and sesame oil and simmer some more.
5. Make a cornstarch slurry (cornstarch and water stirred together) and add it to the bubbling soup to thicken it.
6. With the soup bubbling again, stir in a circular motion while drizzling in the egg.
7. Serve hot, garnished with green onions and chiles if desired.