Hot & Sour Soup

Name: Hot & Sour Soup with Eggs (Cornstarch-Free)
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 1 h 30 min
Total time: 1 h 50 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Chinese
Ingredients: 1 tbsp vegetable oil; 1 garlic clove, minced; 1 tsp minced ginger, from one ½" piece; 4 scallions, white and green parts thinly sliced and separated; 3 cups chicken broth; 8 oz soft or firm tofu, cut into ½" cubes; 6 dried shiitake mushrooms, broken into small pieces and rinsed thoroughly; ½ tsp granulated sugar; ⅓ cup rice vinegar, plus more for garnish; 1 tbsp soy sauce or tamari; 2 tsp sesame oil, plus more for garnish; 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper, plus more as desired; 2 large eggs

This hot and sour soup ditches cornstarch thickening in favor of silky eggs stirred in near the end, creating a rich broth loaded with umami from rehydrated shiitake mushrooms and tofu.

🌍Chinese 🏷️Soup 🏷️Tofu 🏷️Shiitake mushrooms 🏷️Eggs 🏷️Takeout

Total

1h 50m

Servings

4

Difficulty

Medium

Est. Cost

$25–$41

Recipe Source

View original recipe

From Recette Magazine

Ingredients

1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tsp minced ginger, from one ½" piece
4 scallions, white and green parts thinly sliced and separated
3 cups chicken broth
8 oz soft or firm tofu, cut into ½" cubes
6 dried shiitake mushrooms, broken into small pieces and rinsed thoroughly
½ tsp granulated sugar
⅓ cup rice vinegar, plus more for garnish
1 tbsp soy sauce or tamari
2 tsp sesame oil, plus more for garnish
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper, plus more as desired
2 large eggs

13 Ingredients

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Instructions

1
In a Suvie pan, stir together oil, garlic, ginger, and scallion whites. Insert pan into Suvie and broil for 10 minutes, stirring halfway through, until beginning to brown. Do not fill reservoir before broiling.
2
After the broil, remove pan from Suvie and add chicken broth, tofu, mushrooms, sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, and black pepper, mixing well to combine. Insert pan into your Suvie, input settings, and cook now or schedule.
3
In a 2-cup measuring cup, whisk eggs with ¼ tsp salt.
4
Ten minutes before soup is done cooking, remove pan from Suvie and slowly pour an even layer of egg over soup. Do not stir. Return pan to Suvie.
5
After the cook, remove pan and gently stir soup. Taste and season as desired with additional black pepper or vinegar to adjust hot or sour flavor. Divide soup among 4 bowls and garnish with scallion greens, sesame oil, and black pepper, if desired, before serving.

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Tips & Notes

Pro tips

Rinse dried shiitake mushrooms thoroughly before breaking them into pieces to remove any grit that concentrates during drying.
Whisk eggs lightly before adding to hot broth; pour in a thin stream while stirring gently to create silky ribbons instead of clumps.
Taste for balance at the end: hot (white pepper), sour (rice vinegar), savory (soy sauce), and a pinch of sugar. Adjust each independently.
Keep the broth at a gentle simmer when adding eggs; a rolling boil will scramble them into small, rubbery pieces.

Substitutions

Rice vinegar → white vinegar or apple cider vinegar (use 25% less; both are sharper)
Soy sauce → tamari (same ratio; use for gluten-free)
Chicken broth → vegetable broth (loses richness slightly; increase soy sauce by ½ tsp for depth)
Soft tofu → firm tofu (holds shape better during cooking) or silken tofu (creamier, must handle very gently)

Storage & make-ahead

Store cooled soup in an airtight container up to 3 days. Reheat gently on the stovetop; do not boil. For make-ahead, prepare broth and mushrooms separately, then combine and finish with fresh eggs just before serving.

Common Questions

Why add eggs 10 minutes before cooking ends?

Eggs create a silky, velvety texture without cornstarch. Adding them early enough allows them to set into delicate ribbons while distributing evenly throughout the broth.

Can I use fresh shiitake mushrooms instead of dried?

Dried shiitakes deliver concentrated umami; fresh will mute that depth. If using fresh, use double the weight and sauté them first to concentrate flavor.

How do I prevent the tofu from breaking apart?

Cut tofu into even ½-inch cubes and add it after the broth simmers. Avoid aggressive stirring; let it gently warm through for 3–4 minutes before adding eggs.