A thick, peppery, vinegar-sharp broth bristling with shredded tofu, wood ear, bamboo shoots and lily buds, thickened with starch and ribboned with egg. It walks a tightrope between sour and hot, savory and silky.
Often mislabeled as Sichuanese, hot and sour soup is documented as a variant of Henan's hulatang and is also claimed by Beijing cuisine; it gets its heat from white pepper and its sourness from Zhenjiang vinegar.
The first spoonful hits sour, then a slow white-pepper heat creeps up the back of your throat. The broth is velvety and clingy, studded with crunchy wood ear and slippery egg ribbons. It is the soup that wakes up a heavy meal.
White pepper provides a volatile, throat-tingling heat distinct from chili, while black vinegar's acidity is added late so it stays bright rather than cooking off. The cornstarch slurry suspends the shreds and lets the thin egg stream set into soft ribbons.
Variations
Sichuan-style with added chili oil, Beijing-style with pork blood, vegetarian versions, seafood hot and sour soup
On the Palate
Where Hot and Sour Soup sits in the Chinese flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 4
How it's made
7 steps · 20 min
- 110 min
Soak dried wood ear and lily buds until soft, then julienne with bamboo shoots and tofu.
- 24 min
Bring pork or chicken stock to a simmer and add the shredded ingredients.
- 32 min
Season with soy sauce, white pepper and a generous splash of Zhenjiang black vinegar.
Watch outAdd the black vinegar last and off a hard boil — cook it long and the bright sourness flattens; you want it sharp on the nose.
- 43 min
Stir in a cornstarch slurry and simmer until the soup turns glossy and thickened.
Watch outDrizzle the slurry in slowly while stirring until the soup turns glossy and just coats the spoon — dump it in and it clumps.
- 52 min
Slowly pour in beaten egg in a thin stream while gently stirring to form ribbons.
Watch outPour the egg in a thin thread over the back of a spoon while the soup barely moves — stir too hard and it clouds instead of forming ribbons.
- 61 min
Taste and rebalance, adding more pepper for heat or vinegar for sourness.
- 71 min
Finish with sesame oil and chopped scallion, then serve piping hot.
