Kitchen notes · a little help before you start
Hot & Sour Soup
A steaming bowl with a sharp, warming broth can be just the thing when dinner needs a little spark. Tender tofu and thin mushrooms give this soup plenty to scoop up.
- Prep
- 5 min
- Cook
- 15 min
- Total
- 20 min
- Original yield
- Serves 4
- Ingredients
- 11 listed
Make it part of your week
Recipe categories & planning details
- Meal type
- Main course
- Primary protein
- Tofu & tempeh
- Cuisine
- Asian
- Preparation & total time
- Prep: 15 minutes or less · Total: 30 minutes or less
- Dish type
- Soups · Soups & stews
A few quick notes
1. Cube the tofu first
Chop the drained tofu before bringing the broth to a boil, so it is ready to add with the vegetables.
2. Lower the heat
After the tofu, mushrooms and bamboo shoots go in, turn the heat down to medium-low for the rest of the soup.
3. Dissolve the starch
Mix the cornstarch with cold water until dissolved before pouring it into the pot. Stir the soup as it thickens.
Get to know the ingredients
Extra-firm tofu
Choose the water-packed extra-firm tofu listed and drain it before cubing. The cubes go into the already-boiling seasoned broth.
Thin mushrooms
Slice the mushrooms thinly before cooking. They enter the pot alongside the tofu and bamboo shoots for the final simmer.
Bamboo strips
Cut the bamboo shoots into thin strips as listed. Keep those prepared strips ready beside the tofu and sliced mushrooms.
Let’s make it
Choose your servings, then check things off as you go.
Original recipe: Serves 4. Original quantities shown.
Check ingredients as you prepare them. These checks stay on this page.
How to make it
0 of 3 steps completeMake room for Hot & Sour Soup
Review ingredients in your pantry before anything is added. Meal plans use your household size; grocery-only additions use the servings selected above.
The last little job
Give it the final simmer
After thickening, cook the soup five to ten minutes longer. Add the cilantro garnish and serve it straight away.
A little more help as you go
A broth choice
Chicken and vegetable broth are both listed options. Either is combined with the vinegar, soy sauce and aromatics before boiling.
More heat if you like
For a hotter bowl, you can use extra crushed red pepper flakes. They are the ingredient to adjust for additional heat.
A few questions you might have
Does the vinegar go in at the end?
It goes into the pot at the start with the broth, soy sauce, garlic, ginger and pepper flakes before boiling.
Should I sprinkle dry cornstarch into the soup?
Mix it into the cold water first until dissolved, then pour that mixture into the soup and stir until thickened.
Do the mushrooms need separate cooking?
They go directly into the seasoned broth with the tofu and bamboo shoots. Reduce the heat after adding them.
Which soy sauce is listed?
Use the low-sodium soy sauce in the ingredient list. It seasons the broth together with the vinegar and aromatics.
Does thickening mean the soup is finished?
There is still a five-to-ten-minute cooking stage after it thickens. Add the final garnish when that stage is done.
Any more cooking tips?
Increase the heat level by adding more crushed red pepper flakes.
Storage & reheating safety
For cooked, perishable leftovers, refrigerate within 2 hours (1 hour above 90°F), using shallow containers for prompt cooling. Keep the refrigerator at 40°F or below, use refrigerated leftovers within 3–4 days, and reheat hot leftovers to 165°F, checked with a food thermometer. Follow any shorter package limit.
These are general safety limits, not a tested storage or freezing recommendation for this particular dish. USDA leftovers guidance · Safe cooking temperatures
Recipe source: lecremedelacrumb.com. Ingredient names and quantities may be adapted for the pantry.
Preparation notes follow the recipe shown here.
