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Hot and Sour Soup

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Makes 4 servings 1x

Time 40 minutes

Units Scale

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon sesame oil
  • 3 tablespoons soy sauce, or more to taste
  • 3 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 1/2 pound boneless pork loin
  • 6 cups chicken or vegetable stock or water
  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic
  • 1 tablespoon grated or minced fresh ginger
  • 1/2 pound shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and caps sliced
  • 1/2 pound extra-firm tofu, cut into 1/2 -inch cubes
  • 2 celery stalks, roughly chopped
  • 1/4 cup rice vinegar, or more to taste
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • Salt
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves for garnish
  • 1/2 cup chopped scallions for garnish

Instructions

  1. Whisk together 1 teaspoon of the sesame oil with 1 tablespoon of the soy sauce and 1 tablespoon of the cornstarch in a medium bowl. Cut the pork crosswise into thin slices, then cut each slice into sticks no more than 1/2 inch wide. Add the meat to the bowl; toss to coat it in the soy mixture and let it sit.
  2. Meanwhile, put the stock, garlic, and ginger in a large pot over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Add the mushrooms, reduce the heat to low so that the liquid bubbles steadily, and cook until the mushrooms are softened and the broth is darkened a bit, 3 to 5 minutes.
  3. Bring the soup back to a boil over medium heat and add the meat. Stir to make sure the pieces do not stick together and cook until the meat is no longer pink, 1 to 3 minutes. Then add the tofu, celery, vinegar, a generous sprinkle of black pepper, and the remaining 2 tablespoons soy sauce. Lower the heat so the soup bubbles gently and cook until the flavors meld a bit, just a minute or two.
  4. Whisk the remaining 2 tablespoons cornstarch with 1/4 cup water in a small bowl to make a slurry. Stir the cornstarch mixture into the soup and cook, stirring, until it just begins to thicken, about 1 minute. Turn off the heat and stir in the remaining 2 teaspoons sesame oil; taste and adjust the seasoning with salt, pepper, soy sauce, or vinegar. Garnish with the cilantro and scallions and serve.

—Recipe from How to Cook Everything: The Basics

Recipe variations

Hot and Sour Soup with Eggs: For more body and contrasting textures, stir in eggs as you would for Egg Drop Soup. After you add the cornstarch in Step 4, beat two eggs and pour them into the soup slowly, whisking all the while, until they form nearly translucent ribbons.