Hot and Sour Soup: Spicy Bowl Of Comfort (2024)

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Although Hot and Sour Soup is not an Italian recipe -- it's a great soup to make during this cold weather. Not only is it good for when we feel under the weather, but it's also a bowl of cheer any time of year. Its warmth comforts while the broth's peppery spice heats you from the inside out. Hot and sour soup is on practically every Chinese takeout menu and buffet. But this recipe is a million times better than what you get from a restaurant. Take a sip, instant gratification.

This recipe has been updated from the original February 2015 version in order to provide a better experience for our readers. Last update March 2019.

For this recipe you'll need: chicken breasts, chicken stock, celery, green onions, Chinese chili sauce, sesame oil, soy sauce, sugar, white pepper, dried black mushrooms, rice vinegar, bamboo shoots, water chestnuts, Chinese egg noodles, cornstarch, eggs (optional).

Hot and Sour Soup: Spicy Bowl Of Comfort (1)
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  • Hot and Sour Soup is light in taste
  • Inexpensive ingredients make up the soup
  • Hot and Sour Soup is a spicy comfort food
  • Hot And Sour Soup: Spicy Bowl Of Comfort
  • 📖 Recipe
  • 💬 Comments

Hot and Sour Soup is light in taste

The chicken broth makes our Hot and Sour Soup a very light soup, and it's the Asian chili sauce (sambal oelek) that gives it a spicy punch.

We enjoy this soup often throughout the year. Wecertainlydon't wait for just cold weather.

Minestra- soup was a staple in our household, and today both my Honey and I still derive a great deal of satisfaction from making and eating soup.

Whoever makes soup knows that it is practically impossible to make a small batch. By the time you put a little of this and a little of that into it, you've got a pot-full.

Hot and Sour Soup: Spicy Bowl Of Comfort (2)

Inexpensive ingredients make up the soup

You don't need a lot of fancy expensive ingredients for this soup. Most of the items you can purchase in the grocery store.

Hot and Sour Soup: Spicy Bowl Of Comfort (3)

If you have an Asian market nearby, you can find the ingredients even cheaper there.

As you can see we prepare the ingredients ahead of time -- it's so much easier because you don't have to measure, dice or search for an ingredient.

Hot and Sour Soup: Spicy Bowl Of Comfort (4)

Hot and Sour Soup is a spicy comfort food

We've mentioned this a time or twenty -- we like spicy and hot!!

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This soup is a little deceptive when you take your first sip. The kick of the heat hits after you swallow. You may have to mop your brow a bit, but it is oh so good you won't want to stop eating.

Hot and Sour Soup: Spicy Bowl Of Comfort (6)

You can add less of the Asian chili sauce. It all depends on your heat tolerance. 🙂 This is a great recipe to make your way. We love trying new and different dishes -- do you??

And next time you want a quick Asian dish, check out our Classic Chinese Chop Suey. It's a family recipe that is decades old. And here are two more variations: Chicken Chop Suey and for the seafood lover, Shrimp Chop Suey.

Mangiareè un'avventura-- Eating is an adventure.

Hot and Sour Soup: Spicy Bowl Of Comfort (7)

If you enjoy this soup you'll like these recipes

Chop Suey Like Mom Used To Make

Stracciatella Italian Egg Drop Soup

Gnocchi in Brodo

These recipes are classics at our house.

Tutti a tavola è pronto!

Un caro saluto e alla prossima.

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Hot and Sour Soup: Spicy Bowl Of Comfort (8)
Hot and Sour Soup: Spicy Bowl Of Comfort (9)

Hot And Sour Soup: Spicy Bowl Of Comfort

Just take one whiff of this soup and it will immediately make you feel warm and happy. It has a light chicken broth as its base and it's so easy to make. You may adapt this recipe to your liking and you may just want to make a double batch to have on hand. You can freeze it, just follow the recipe notes. There may be no miracle cures for what ails us but this soup sure comes close.

And if you love trying new Asian dishes, you've got to sample our amazing Chinese Shrimp Chop Suey. It takes less than 30 minutes to make and it tastes better than what you order in restaurants.

📖 Recipe

Hot and Sour Soup: Spicy Bowl Of Comfort (10)

Hot and Sour Soup - All Our Way

This soup is a spicy comfort food that you can adapt to your taste. The Asian flavor comes from the dark sesame oil and rice vinegar while the heat comes from the Asian chili sauce (sambal oelek)

5 from 14 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: main dish, Soup

Cuisine: Asian, Chinese

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes minutes

Servings: 12

Calories: 164kcal

Author: Marisa Franca @ All Our Way

As An Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Ingredients

  • 2 boneless chicken breasts or use rotisserie chicken breasts shredded
  • 2 quarts + 3 cups chicken stock
  • 3 stalks celery diced
  • 5 green onions sliced including the green diced
  • 2 teaspoons Asian chili sauce like sambal oelek
  • 2 Tablespoons dark sesame oil
  • 6 Tablespoons soy sauce divided
  • 4 pinches white pepper
  • ¾ Tablespoon sugar may use honey
  • 8 dried black mushrooms -- more if you like. Slice once they have been softened.
  • 4 Tablespoons rice vinegar
  • ½ cup bamboo shoots
  • ½ cup sliced water chestnuts
  • 1 nest Asian egg noodles
  • 2 Tablespoons cornstarch
  • 8 oz. Tofu cubed extra firm
  • 2 eggs optional

Instructions

  • Cook the 2 chicken breasts in 2 cups of chicken broth letting the breasts gently simmer for 15 to 20 minutes until cooked through. Let cool then shred with fork. Save the chicken broth to add to the soup. If you use rotisserie chicken breasts, shred them and add the 2 cups of broth to the overall liquid.

  • Mix cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of soy sauce, set aside.

  • Soak black mushrooms for 20 minutes in 1 cup of chicken stock. I use a French press to keep the mushroom submerged in the liquid.

  • In a Dutch oven or deep pot sauté the diced celery in the 1 ½ tablespoons sesame oil until soft. Add the green onions and sauté for 15 seconds. Add the bamboo shoots and water chestnuts.

  • Add 4 Tablespoons soy sauce, vinegar, pepper, chili paste, and sugar. Stir together. Now pour in the chicken stock and reserved liquids into the pot and bring to a simmer. Cook for about 10 minutes.

  • Add the sliced black mushrooms, shredded chicken and let the soup come to a simmer again. Simmer about 5 minutes. Add the tofu. Stir in the cornstarch soy sauce mixture along with the Asian egg noodles nest. Simmer for 2 minutes.

  • If you want eggs beat them with 1 ½ teaspoon sesame oil. Whisking with fork, pour into the simmering soup in a fine stream.

    Garnish with a little green onion when serving.

Notes

  • We like our soup spicy but you can increase or decrease the seasonings to your taste.

Nutrition

Calories: 164kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 44mg | Sodium: 773mg | Potassium: 323mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 160IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 45mg | Iron: 1.3mg

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Hot and Sour Soup: Spicy Bowl Of Comfort (2024)

FAQs

Is hot and sour soup healthy or bad for you? ›

Hot and sour soup is usually very high in sodium and might be helpful for those suffering from sodium deficiency. However, consuming excess sodium can be harmful to those who suffer from high blood pressure. If you are preparing the soup at home, make sure you check the quantity of salt added to the soup.

What is the broth made of in hot and sour soup? ›

The soup broth

Chinese Hot and Sour soup broth is made with chicken stock which is flavoured with typical Asian ingredients such as soy sauce, sugar, pepper and ginger. The soup is thickened slightly using cornstarch/cornflour – I love how the glossy broth coats the ingredients when you scoop it up!

What is the black stuff in hot and sour soup? ›

What are the dark things in hot and sour soup? The dark things you may find in hot and sour soup is black fungus, also known as wood ear mushrooms.

Is hot and sour soup good for inflammation? ›

A powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agent, ginger has also been shown to activate T-cells to help get your immune system going.

Which Chinese soup is the healthiest? ›

Egg Drop Soup

Of the soups commonly found on Chinese restaurant menus, egg drop is the healthiest. Totally starving when you walk into a Chinese restaurant? Order soup as an appetizer, and egg drop is tops. "It's really made with eggs, so it does offer quite a bit of protein," says London.

What are the disadvantages of hot and sour soup? ›

High in Sodium

The only drawback of consuming Hot and Sour Soup is that it is high on sodium as it contains around 837 milligrams of sodium which is a bit too high and can lead to high blood pressure.

What are the stringy things in hot and sour soup? ›

3 eggs – Eggs make the beautiful silky egg ribbons that is a signature of Hot and Sour Soup!

What country is hot and sour soup from? ›

"Hot and sour soup" is claimed by the cuisine of Beijing. The Chinese hot and sour soup is usually meat-based, and often contains ingredients such as day lily buds, wood ear fungus, bamboo shoots, and tofu, in a broth that is sometimes flavored with pork blood.

What are the long brown things in hot and sour soup? ›

Dried Wood Ear Mushroom: A classic ingredient in Chinese hot sour soup. Since these are dried they also need to be rehydrated before cooking.

How do you tone down hot and sour soup? ›

Add Some Starches

The easiest way to tone down a spicy dish is to serve a smaller portion with plenty of rice, bread, potatoes, pasta, or plain starch to counter the heat. For soups and stews, raw and starchy vegetables like potatoes or carrots work well.

How long can hot and sour soup stay in the fridge? ›

Leftover hot and sour soup will last in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. I don't recommend freezing it because the texture of both the eggs and the tofu will be affected.

Is Chinese hot & sour soup healthy? ›

Is hot and sour chicken soup healthy? Yes, homemade hot & sour chicken soup can be very healthy as you control the ingredients. Optimize nutrition by minimizing added starch, using lean protein, and avoiding adding sugar.

Is hot and sour soup good for your liver? ›

Hot and sour soup supports healthy Liver function. The taste of sour resonates directly with the Liver and helps promote flow. Once you learn how to make the base of the soup, try using different ingredients.

What is the effect of eating sour soup? ›

It's High in Antioxidants

Antioxidants are compounds that help neutralize harmful compounds called free radicals, which can cause damage to cells. Some research shows that antioxidants could play a role in reducing the risk of several diseases, including heart disease, cancer and diabetes ( 3 , 4 , 5 ).

Is Hot & Sour soup from the Chinese restaurant fattening? ›

1 cup of hot and sour soup (Chinese restaurant) contains 91 Calories. The macronutrient breakdown is 45% carbs, 28% fat, and 27% protein. This has a relatively low calorie density, with 39 Calories per 100g.

Is Hot and Sour Soup good for your liver? ›

Hot and sour soup supports healthy Liver function. The taste of sour resonates directly with the Liver and helps promote flow. Once you learn how to make the base of the soup, try using different ingredients.

References

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