Hot & Sour Soup

[weinoo]

Key flavors - hot and sour !

I've always felt that the true key was pork simmered in good chicken stock...and of course, black pepper and black vinegar for the hot and sour tastes. That, coupled with the textural goodness of an assortment of ingredients (dried mushrooms, bamboo shoots, fresh ginger, tree ears, lily buds, bean curd, etc.) leads to a good hot and sour soup.

Fucshia Dunlop, in her classic Sichuan cook book Land of Plenty, claims that bean curd and/or various other assorted mushrooms fresh and dried may be substituted for the pork. Certainly, dried and fried bean curds will add texture.

So, ff you can find an excellent canned/prepared chicken stock, and add some mushrooms, ginger, bean curd, etc., you might get somewhat close, though it'll be missing the meaty goodness.

[Beebs]

Hot & sour soup is essentially clear broth (chicken and/or pork) with white vinegar and a pile of white pepper. Cornstarch to thicken it. You can add pretty much anything to this base - egg drop, bamboo shoot, sliced shitake or wood ear, tofu, carrot, chicken/pork.... Season with soy & sesame oil to taste. That's how my mum does it, but she doesn't use a recipe and unfortunately neither do I - cook till it tastes right. Some versions call for chili sauce or oil, and I've had a version that had ketchup (yuck). But it's apparently blasphemy to get the "hot" component with anything other than white pepper (so says mom).

[Cookwithlove]

Hey Fat Guy,

Here is my chinese version of Szechuan hot and Sour Soup.

Heat a pot till slight smoke, add some oil, dashes of hua teow wine, add stock(prerefable chicken ), bring to a rapid boil and throw in the following shredded sauces and ingredients; chinese black vineager,sesame oil, sweet and sour hot hot bean sauce, light soya, shredded black fungus(boil till soft before adding, Beancurd strip, shredded bamboo shoot and bean sprout(last minute) baby shrimp and pork strip(blanch before adding. (omit meat if you don't like.) Bring to boil again and simmer for 5 to 7 minute before thicken with corn starch(adjust consistency must be thick. Finally bring to a rapid boil and off the flame before stirring in slowly the egg white to produce a white strip. Color of soup reddish black. Taste must be hot(spicyness comes from hot bean sauce and sourness comes from black vineager(prefer brand Chin Kiang black vineager.)

voila!

[weinoo]

Taste must be hot(spicyness comes from hot bean sauce and sourness comes from black vineager(prefer brand Chin Kiang black vineager.)

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Totally disagree with this. Hotness comes from black or white peppercorns and not hot bean sauce, according to the dozen or so cookbooks I checked.

[KatieLoeb]

Taste must be hot(spicyness comes from hot bean sauce and sourness comes from black vineager(prefer brand Chin Kiang black vineager.)

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Totally disagree with this. Hotness comes from black or white peppercorns and not hot bean sauce, according to the dozen or so cookbooks I checked.

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While pepper might be "technically" correct, I vastly prefer the flavor of hot bean/garlic paste in my hot and sour soup.

To me a good hot and sour is a tricked up version of egg drop soup, with vinegar providing the sour and hot chile providing the heat, more veggies and some sort of protein. A bit of dark soy sauce adds some depth of flavor. The dried fungi and vegetables add to the flavor and textures. I usually use shreds of pork and cubed tofu for the proteins. And definitely whisk in a scrambled egg for the egg shreds at the very end.

[racheld]

I may be mixing two cuisines too much, but Sambal Oelek provides the best-tasting heat I've ever found. Fresh and crisp-tasting and just the right punch.

[liuzhou]

White pepper every time.

[weinoo]

I believe that traditionally white pepper is used so as not to give the appearance of dark specks in the soup. Of course, white pepper and black pepper come from the same plant (Piper nigrum), just prepared in a slightly different manner.

While we all may enjoy the flavor of chili paste with garlic, sambal oeleek, hot bean paste, etc., these are non-traditional additions to Sichuan hot and sour soup.

[Beebs]

Hot & sour is fantastic for noodle soup, it's a fast and tasty comfort food. We'll have this for dinner when we're not in the mood for complicated cooking and if the soup's made ahead of time. Even better with a couple Chinese dumplings (jiaozi) tossed in!

[C J Phillips]

Here's my personal recipe for vegetarian hot and sour soup. Enjoy!

1 block fresh, firm tofu, organic if possible

4 or 5 wood ear mushrooms, fresh if possible

1 bamboo shoot, fresh or frozen

1 handful dried daylily buds (see note above)

2 oz. veggie chicken strips or pressed tofu

4 ounces fresh shiitake mushrooms

1 tablespoon peanut oil

½-inch fresh ginger, minced or grated

4 cups clear vegetarian stock

1 tablespoon light soy sauce

1 tablespoon cornstarch dissolved in 2 tablespoons Shaoxing rice wine

1 tablespoon Chinese black vinegar

A few grinds of pepper to taste

1 egg, lightly beaten

A small handful of cilantro, chopped, for garnish

Slice the firm tofu into pencil-sized strips about an inch long; set aside. Clean the wood ears carefully and remove any tough parts before slicing into a thin julienne; if you’re using dried wood ears, soak them in very hot water for about 10 minutes before cleaning and slicing them. Slice the bamboo shoot, veggie chicken (or pressed tofu), and mushrooms into thin matchsticks and set aside. Soak and drain the daylily buds as directed above, then tie each bud into a simple knot. (This helps keep the flower from disintegrating, and also gives it a nice, chewy texture.)

Heat the peanut oil in a wok or large saucepan over high heat until the oil shimmers, then add the ginger and stir-fry for a few seconds before adding the veggie chicken (or pressed tofu) and mushrooms, then stir-fry them quickly for about a minute; pour in the stock and soy sauce. When the stock comes to a boil, carefully add the tofu, wood ears, bamboo shoot, and daylily buds, and bring to a boil again before reducing the soup to a gentle simmer. Allow the soup to simmer for about 10 minutes.

Just before serving, stir in the cornstarch-wine mixture and stir continuously until the soup thickens slightly. Add the vinegar and freshly ground pepper, taste, and add more if you wish. When the flavor is as you like it, take the soup off the heat and pour the beaten egg into the hot soup with one hand while stirring gently with the other in order to create delicate egg ribbons. Sprinkle the cilantro on top and serve.

[C J Phillips]

Oops, forgot the directions on preparing daylily buds (jinzhen): Daylily buds can often be found in well-stocked Chinese grocers or herbalists. Look for buds that are a fresh pale apricot color; brown ones are too old and should be tossed out. Soak these flowers in hot water for about 10 minutes to reinvigorate them, then drain and set aside.

[Cookwithlove]

Taste must be hot(spicyness comes from hot bean sauce and sourness comes from black vineager(prefer brand Chin Kiang black vineager.)

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Totally disagree with this. Hotness comes from black or white peppercorns and not hot bean sauce, according to the dozen or so cookbooks I checked.

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Chefs rcipe differs between one another. I don't use white peppercorn in my recipe and therefore my spicyness comes from the hot beans sauce. It has to blend well with the black vineager. I have used this recipe countless times and they like it. The degree of spicyness differs between red chill, chilli padi, black peppercorn, white peppercorn and so is sourness between lemon juice, tamarind, tamarind skin, thai lemon and small or large lime are different. Cookbook provide a very good guide and wealth of information and ideas to me and most of the times when I get a recipe from book or colleagues I test it. Once I colleague give me a recipe which I take for granted and 2 hours before I cook a meal for dinner, I found the taste in the sauce funny, immediately I throw it away and try a new recipe and in the end they were very happy with the meal I cooked for them.My advice test any recipe before using For sharing.... my 2 cents.

Edited July 30, 2008 by Cookwithlove (log)

[jo-mel]

The question of the "hot" seems to come up from time to time. Mostly by the question of whether it is a Northern or Sichuanese dish. I wonder if it originated in the North as that was where the seat of government usually was, and as the Mandarins were sent out across the country to run governments in the provinces --- they took their chefs with them? As the saying goes "When in Rome" ---- So the chefs used the special seasonings of the area?

[weinoo]

The degree of spicyness differs between red chill, chilli padi, black peppercorn, white peppercorn and so is sourness between lemon juice, tamarind, tamarind skin, thai lemon and small or large lime are different. 

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Well, I would say that not only does the degree of spiciness differ between red chile, et. at., but so does the taste - hence the reasoning for peppercorns of the black or white variety in hot and sour soup. They're the right taste for the soup.

Same with sourness - not only is the degree of sourness different, but so is the taste.

[Peter Green]

If you're going for a Northern version, then load up with white peppercorn and balance that against the vinegar.

If you want Sichuan, then you'll need to introduce the hot bean paste, and temper back the vinegar and peppercorn, loading up the Sichuan peppercorn for the numbing element.

I'm very partial to numbing.

From what I've heard, you can get good quality Sichuan peppercorns in the US now. They were a restricted item until recently.

Beware of ones that have been too long in shipping. The effect passes with time unless they're sealed and refridgerated.

The basic test is to try one raw. If your face does Jim Carey impersonations for ten minutes, it's a good batch.

[liuzhou]

I've had Hot and Sour soup in Sichuan more times than I care to count. Never had one with Hot Bean Paste.

White pepper every time.

[liuzhou]

AS with most dishes, there are many variations on hot and sour soup. 

 

Of the hot and sour soups (in Chinese it is sour and hot - only 1.4 billion people know that  )

 

I particularly dislike the starchy Cantonese version - way too much thickener. My late wife called it glue soup. Despite being Chinese of half Cantonese parentage, she much preferred the Thai version.

 

For me it's a toss up between Thai and Sichuan. The interesting thing for me is that, despite Sichuan's famous use of chili peppers, they aren't used in the traditional recipe. The heat comes from white peppercorns instead.

 

Zhenjiang (Chinkiang) vinegar every time.

 

There is a pretty good guide here.

 

 

Edited June 3, 2020 by liuzhou (log)

[Jaymes]

A tweaked version of my previous recipe - this worked better for me.

cheers, JH

The Hirshon Szechuan Hot and Sour Soup

Ingredients:

1 garlic clove

1 tsp ginger root (about 2 slices)

¼ pound ribeye steak, velveted:

Slice the beef into shreds (partially freezing the meat helps a lot). Be sure to cut across the grain of the beef.

To marinate the beef: use 1 tsp of light soy sauce, 1 tsp of Shaoxing wine, 1 tsp of cornstarch and 1/2 tsp of ground white pepper.

Mix well. Set aside for about 30 minutes before cooking.

Heat a wok to very high heat. Add 6 tblsp of peanut oil, allow oil to heat through thoroughly, then add beef shreds. Cook until slightly pink, then drain and reserve the beef. Don’t overcook it!

1 ½ Tbsp soy sauce

¼ cup bamboo shoots, shredded

5 dried shiitake mushrooms, top-quality

1 cup mushroom soaking liquid

10 dried lily buds (also called golden needles)

4 dried tree ear fungus (also called cloud ears) or 1 tsp. dried pre-sliced

4 cups homemade chicken broth

1 Tbsp Shaoxing

1 Tbsp Baoning Vinegar

1 Tbsp Chinkiang Vinegar

1 Tbsp. Rice Vinegar

1 Tbsp cornstarch, mixed with 2 Tbsp. water

½ cup diced firm tofu

2 Tbsp. finely shredded Szechuan Preserved Vegetable

3 sliced green onions

1 egg

1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil (Kadoya brand preferred) or to taste

2 tsp freshly ground white pepper

1 teaspoon freshly ground szechuan peppercorn

Hot Sauce to taste

Directions:

(1) Soak mushrooms cloud ear and lily flowers separately in hot water for 25 to 30 minutes or until soft. Reserve mushroom liquid in amount specified above, discard any sand at bottom of bowl and combine with chicken stock. Next remove stems from mushrooms; discard and thinly slice the caps. Pick off tough ends of cloud ear; discard ends; slice cloud ears thinly. Remove tough ends of lily flowers; cut flowers in half. Set aside until ready to begin cooking. Heat the chicken broth.

(2) Mince the garlic and ginger with the shaoxing into a paste. Shred the bamboo shoots. Combine the cornstarch and the water. Lightly beat the eggs.

(3) Add the beef and the soy sauce to the heated stock, cook for 1 minute more.

(4) Add bamboo shoots, shiitakes, lily buds, Szechuan Preserved Vegetable and cloud ears, stir quickly for 1 minute.

(5) Stir in chicken/mushroom broth, shaoxing paste and Baoning/Chinkiang Vinegars.

(6) Stir cornstarch/water mix one last time and add it to the soup.

(7) Add the tofu and bring the soup to a boil.

(8 ) Turn the heat to low, add the green onions.

(9) Add the beaten eggs in a slow stream, stirring several times.

(10) Turn off the heat and add the sesame oil, rice vinegar, szechuan and white pepper. Season to taste with hot sauce and serve immediately.

 

 

This is the recipe I've used since it was initially posted.  Works pretty well for me.

 

Also, FatGuy had some interesting thoughts on producing a simpler version in this thread:  "An easy recipe for hot & sour soup":  http://forums.egullet.org/topic/117630-looking-for-an-easy-hot-sour-soup-recipe/?hl=%2Bsour

Edited August 1, 2014 by Jaymes (log)

[Jaymes]

I've had Hot and Sour soup in Sichuan more times than I care to count. Never had one with Hot Bean Paste.

White pepper every time.

 

I have a question for you Liuzhou...  Is this something you make regularly? 

 

Because I'm by myself now, but love this soup.  Wonder if there's a recipe/method that would be easy for me to make, and would be appropriate for a one-person household.

Edited August 1, 2014 by Jaymes (log)

[liuzhou]

 

 

I have a question for you Liuzhou... Is this something you make regularly?

 

No.

[Alex]

The first recipe I ever used was "Peking Hot and Sour Soup" from the Joyce Chen Cookbook, and I've found no reason to use any other. The only modifications I've made are to use much less cornstarch, for the same reason Lizhou mentioned upthread, and Chinese rice wine instead of dry sherry for velveting the pork (when she wrote the book, in 1962, rice wine wasn't as easily available).

[Dejah]

I might need to explore white pepper more. My Mom loved it, but I don't care for the taste...

I brought lots of white peppercorns back from Malaysia last year and ended up giving most of it away to friends who appreciate it.

 

I agree with liuzhou about most Hot & Sour soups are too "gluey". It's getting better in restaurants we've visited. Sometimes I find them to be more "sweet and hot" soup instead of sour! 

 

I have always used Chinese chili paste for my soup, even in my restaurant days. My customers are used to all the goodies IN the soup, so they find other versions lacking now that I have retired.

 

 

My bowl has green onions; hubby's has steamed rice in it instead.