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AI-generated photograph: Glossy amber hot and sour soup in a white porcelain bowl, thin ribbons of tofu, bamboo shoot and mushroom, finished with fine green spring onion and specks of red chilli

Home · Recipes · Hot and sour soup with tofu

East and South East Asian · Soups and starters

Hot and sour soup with tofu

peppery broth · tofu and bamboo · rice vinegar

AI-generated photograph

A silky, peppery Chinese style soup with mushrooms, bamboo shoots and strips of tofu, sharp with rice vinegar and warm with white pepper. Bright and bold, to wake up the palate.

Contains: soya, as written. Contains soya, from the tamari and the tofu. Tamari is a soy sauce usually made without wheat, but check the bottle says gluten free. Stock cubes and stock pots can contain celery or wheat, so check the packet.

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 15g ginger, peeled and cut into thin matchsticks
  • 150g chestnut mushrooms, thinly sliced
  • 1 litre vegetable stock (check the label if you need it gluten free)
  • 1 tin (225g) bamboo shoots, drained and cut into thin strips
  • 200g firm tofu, cut into thin strips
  • 3 tablespoons tamari (a soy sauce made without wheat)
  • 4 tablespoons rice vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon caster sugar
  • Half a teaspoon ground white pepper
  • Half a teaspoon chilli flakes
  • 2 tablespoons cornflour
  • 2 spring onions, thinly sliced

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Let's cook

  1. Heat the oil in a large pan on a medium heat. Add the garlic and ginger and stir for 1 minute until fragrant.
  2. Add the mushrooms and cook for 3 minutes, stirring, until they soften.
  3. Pour in the stock and add the bamboo shoots and tofu. Bring to the boil, then turn down and simmer gently for 5 minutes.
  4. Stir in the tamari, rice vinegar, sugar, white pepper and chilli flakes.
  5. In a cup, mix the cornflour with 4 tablespoons cold water until smooth. With the soup bubbling gently, pour it in slowly while stirring. Simmer for 1 to 2 minutes until the soup turns glossy and slightly thick.
  6. Taste and balance it: add a splash more vinegar if you want it sharper, or a pinch more white pepper for more heat. Ladle into warm bowls and scatter over the spring onion.

Tips

  • The heat comes mostly from the white pepper, so add it in two goes and taste.
  • Stir the cornflour mix just before adding it, as it settles in the cup.
  • Leftovers keep in the fridge for 2 days. Reheat until steaming hot; it may need a splash of water.

Swaps

  • Classic egg ribbons: beat 1 egg and drizzle it slowly into the bubbling soup at the end while stirring; it then contains eggs and is not vegan.
  • Deeper sourness: use Chinkiang black vinegar instead of rice vinegar, but most contain wheat, so it is then not gluten free.
  • Milder: halve the white pepper and leave out the chilli flakes.

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Our own recipe. The photograph is AI-generated.

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The East Asian meal plan