I found this classic hot and sour soup to be so fantastic I couldn’t stop eating it. The broth is insanely tasty despite being so easy to make. There’s a great contrast between the woodsy mushroom and citrus lime flavors.
My wife loved the soup but said the mushrooms were too thick and that I should’ve cut them much thinner. I liked them thick since they added a bit of texture to the soup, but thin or thick, it’s great stuff!
Chicken. Tofu. Or Neither.
I added chicken to our classic hot and sour soup, but tofu is probably more common. Or leave it out and you’ll still have the perfect bowl of soup for a cold day.
I like to use my good ole trusty Dutch oven to make this soup and pretty much darned near anything like it on my stovetop. It’s nice and big and sturdy. That extra weight helps it maintain and distribute heat perfectly. As an added bonus, it’s actually pretty easy to clean up too!
Also try my out-of-this-world crazy good vegetable soup.
Classic Hot and Sour Soup
Ingredients
- 2 ounces shiitake mushrooms dried
- 10 cups chicken broth divided
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- ⅓ cup ginger chopped
- 2 tablespoons garlic minced
- ¾ teaspoon dried red pepper flake
- ½ pound chicken cut into small bite-size strips or chunks
- ¼ cup lime juice
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 2 green onions sliced, for garnish
Instructions
- Place 3 cups of the chicken broth in a saucepan and bring to a simmer.
- Add the mushrooms then remove from heat and let sit for 30 minutes until the mushrooms are tender.
- Cut off any of the stems and slice the mushroom caps.
- Strain the chicken broth into a bowl and set aside.
- Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat.
- Add the ginger, garlic, and red pepper flakes and cook 2 minutes.
- Add the remaining chicken stock, mushroom broth, and chicken.
- Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer and simmer for 30 minutes.
- In a small bowl whisk together the lime juice and cornstarch. Slowly add to the soup while whisking to combine. Bring soup back to a boil then reduce to a simmer and let simmer for 5 minutes.
- Add soy sauce and sesame oil and serve garnished with green onions.
Nutrition
Nutritional values are approximate.