Hot & Sour Soup
| Prep | Total | Servings |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Hr 30 Min | 2 Hr 30 Min | 6-8 |
Ingredients
- 1/2 c. dried wood ear (about 20 g.)
- 1/2 c. dried yuba or 3/4 c. fresh yuba
- 2 tbsp. plus 1 tsp. grapeseed oil, divided
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2" piece fresh ginger, minced
- 4 green onions, thinly sliced, plus more for garnish
- 1 red chile, thinly sliced, plus more for garnish
- 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
- 3 tbsp. Sriracha
- 1 tsp. granulated sugar
- 1 medium carrot, thinly sliced
- 1 c. sliced shiitake mushrooms
- 1 c. enoki or seafood mushrooms
- 5 c. low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
- 1/2 c. thinly sliced bamboo shoots
- 6 oz. soft tofu, cut into ½" cubes
- 1/3 c. rice wine vinegar
- 3 tbsp. Chinese black vinegar
- 3 tbsp. low-sodium soy sauce
- 1/2 tsp. ground white pepper
- 1 tsp. cornstarch
- 2 large eggs (optional)
- 2 tsp. toasted sesame oil
- Chili oil, for serving
- Cilantro, for serving
Directions
- In a large bowl, soak yuba in 4 cups of cold water for 2 hours. In another large bowl, soak wood ear with 4 cups of cold water for 1 hour. Rinse and drain yuba and wood ear once rehydrated, then slice into thin slivers.
- In a large pot over medium heat, heat 2 tablespoons oil. Add garlic, ginger, green onions, chile, and salt. Stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in Sriracha, sugar, yuba, wood ear, and mushrooms and cook until softened, stirring frequently, 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add in broth, bamboo shoots, and tofu, and bring to a simmer. Add in vinegars, soy sauce, and white pepper, and stir gently to combine. In a small bowl, whisk cornstarch with 2 tablespoons water until smooth, then add cornstarch slurry to pot. Reduce heat to low, and let simmer for 10 more minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Optionally, make egg drop addition: In a medium bowl, whisk eggs with 2 teaspoons water and remaining 1 teaspoon grapeseed oil. Remove pot from heat, then very slowly stream in whisked egg mixture around the edge of the pot. Cover the pot and let stand for 4 minutes, until the egg sets and floats to the surface. Drizzle in sesame oil and very gently stir to combine.
- Garnish with chili oil, cilantro, more green onions, and red chiles before serving.
Note
Wood ear
Wood ear is an edible fungus that has a very different mouthfeel than most other varieties of mushrooms. Found in most Asian grocery stores, it comes packaged in a dehydrated state and after being soaked in water for 1 to 2 hours, it unfurls into a thin, shiny, wavy pansy-like shape. Lightly cooked, it retains a crisp-tender crunchiness, reminiscent of cartilage on chicken bones. Relatively tasteless on its own, it's great at carrying the flavors of any soup it's in while providing that extra bit of textural excitement.
If you have trouble finding this ingredient, you can leave it out or substitute with thinly sliced celery for texture or bell peppers for a little extra flavor.
Yuba and tofu
Yuba and tofu are both soybean products, but each contributes a different texture to this soup. Yuba—also known as bean burd and tofu skin—is basically the cheese of soybean products. During the boiling of soy milk in tofu production, a layer of rich bean curd rises to the top and forms a skin. This layer is then skimmed off and sold as fresh yuba or dehydrated and packaged in a shelf-stable state.
Similar to unsalted mozzarella in taste once rehydrated and cooked, yuba is delicious as a slightly chewy, mildly creamy meat alternative in this soup. If you have trouble finding this ingredient, you can leave it out or simply substitute with more of your favorite mushrooms for texture or smoked tofu for flavor.
What kind of tofu you use in this soup is totally up to personal preference: anything from soft to extra-firm will do just fine. Silken tofu is very fragile and will immediately crumble at the slightest touch: It adds a wonderfully pudding-like texture to the soup but handle it gently to prevent it from breaking into tiny little bits and disappearing into the soup.
Optional silky egg drop addition
If you love egg drop soup, you might want to add that element into your hot and sour soup. Consider it the finishing touch: for perfect silky strands, you'll have to remove the pot from heat and wait until the simmer settles down before very slowly drizzling in your egg mixture in a skinny thread around the pot. Patience is the name of the game here: cover the pot with a lid and simply wait without stirring the pot until the egg coagulates and cooks in the hot (but not boiling) broth.
Adjust your spice level according to personal taste: I've made it just spicy enough to break a baby sweat on the forehead. As with most soups, this one tastes even better the day after. Keep leftovers in a glass jar or airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
