Hot and sour soup is a traditional Sichuan dish famous around the world. This recipe is quick and easy to prepare and perfect for chilly evenings or when you’re fighting or recovering from a cold.
On the Ingredients:
Sichuan cuisine is from the Sichuan province of China and is famous for its bold, pungent, spicy flavors. Its delicious combinations of flavor result from garlic, chili peppers, and the all-important Sichuan pepper. Now, despite its name, the Sichuan pepper is neither related to black pepper nor chilis. It comes from a plant in the same family as citrus and rue, and the flavor is a little reminiscent of citrus with a bit of pine mixed in. Its other primary trait is the tingly, numbing sensation it produces in the mouth. To bring this unique flavor to our Hot and Sour Soup, we used Sichuan Chili Oil from Black Slate, which is made with Sichuan pepper, star anise, black cardamom, and nine other Chinese spices layered with chili heat. You’ll also notice the recipe calls for sriracha sauce, which again bumps up the heat profile. Sriracha is actually a type of chili sauce from Thailand made with chili peppers, vinegar, garlic, and sugar. But despite its non-Chinese origin, it is a good all-purpose hot sauce. If you’re not quite comfortable with the added heat, you can use only the Sichuan Chili Oil.
Recipe Notes and Vegan Substitutions:
If you’d like a vegan version of this soup, replace the chicken with firm tofu, cut into cubes and added to the broth, which should be exchanged for veggie broth. Skip the egg! You can also add some extra greens to the soup if you’d like, such as bok choy or other Asian greens. These should be added at the end, but before the egg, and stewed until wilted.
Easy Hot & Sour Soup
4
servings10
minutes20
minutes30
minutesHot and sour soup is a traditional Sichuan dish famous around the world. This recipe is quick and easy to prepare and perfect for chilly evenings or when you're fighting or recovering from a cold.
Ingredients
4 chicken thighs (skinless, boneless, until into bite-sized pieces)
2 cloves of garlic minced
4 cups chicken stock
1 cup thinly sliced carrot
1 green bell pepper (thinly sliced)
1/2 cup chopped cabbage
1/2 cup sliced scallion
3 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp sriracha or chili sauce
2 tbsp white vinegar or rice vinegar
1 tbsp Sichuan Chili Oil
2 tsp brown sugar OR monkfruit sweetener
1 tbsp + 1 tsp sesame oil
salt to taste
2 tbsp cornstarch OR potato starch
1/4 cup water
1 egg
Directions
- Heat a medium stock pot over a medium-low flame. Add a tbsp of sesame oil, chicken, and garlic. Sauté until the chicken is fully cooked. Add the chicken stock and bring to a simmer.
- Combine the soy sauce, sriracha, vinegar, chili oil, sweetener, and remaining sesame oil. Add the seasoning to the soup.
- Put the cornstarch or potato starch in a small bowl and add 1/4 cup of water to make a slurring, then add to the soup.
- Add the carrot, bell pepper, cabbage, and scallions. Cook for about 5 minutes, until the veggies are tender.
- Beat the egg and pour it into the soup while you stir. Remove from heat and serve hot.
