Hot and Sour Soup with Dumplings
A hearty, veggie-packed soup that's a little spicy from white pepper and sour from aromatic Chinese black vinegar. The dumplings are optional but make this an easy and complete one pot meal!
Ingredients
- 1/2 block tofu (~7 oz) I prefer soft, but you can use any type)
- frozen dumplings optional
- 5 dried shiitake mushrooms
- 5 fresh or dried woodear mushrooms
- 1/3 cup bamboo shoots
- 1/2 large carrot
- 2 large eggs
- 8 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 2.5 tbsp cornstarch
- 2 tbsp water
- 1 tbsp neutral oil
- 2 stalks scallions
Seasoning:
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp white pepper
- 1/4 tsp sugar
- chicken bouillon optional
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1/2 tsp dark soy sauce
- 2.5 tbsp Chinese black vinegar
- 1/2 tsp sesame oil
Instructions
Prepare the ingredients
- Rinse the dried shiitake mushrooms. Add them into a bowl with 1 cup of hot water. If using dried woodear mushrooms, add those into the bowl to rehydrate together. Cover the bowl to speed up the rehydration process.5 dried shiitake mushrooms, 5 fresh or dried woodear mushrooms
- Meanwhile, slice all the bamboo shoots, carrots, and the white part of the scallions into thin strips. Carefully slice the tofu into thin strips (recommend watching the video tutorial to see my preferred method).1/3 cup bamboo shoots, 1/2 large carrot, 2 stalks scallions, 1/2 block tofu
- Prepare the cornstarch slurry by dissolving the cornstarch with room temperature or cold water in a bowl. Set aside.2.5 tbsp cornstarch, 2 tbsp water
- Beat 2 eggs throughly in a bowl, and set it aside.2 large eggs
- Once the mushrooms are rehydrated, squeeze out the excess water into the bowl. Save the mushroom broth for later.
- Discard any tough stems, then slice the mushrooms into thin strips.
Make the soup
- Heat up a large pot on medium heat, and add neutral oil. Once hot, add the scallion whites and stir fry for 1 minute.1 tbsp neutral oil, 2 stalks scallions
- Add the chicken broth and mushroom water to the pot. Turn up the heat to high to bring it up to a boil.8 cups low sodium chicken broth
- Add all the seasonings except for the vinegar and sesame oil. Give the soup a mix.1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp white pepper, 1/4 tsp sugar, chicken bouillon, 1 tbsp light soy sauce, 1/2 tsp dark soy sauce
- Add frozen dumplings (if using). Let the soup simmer until the dumplings float to the top.frozen dumplings
- Add the rest of the sliced veggies and tofu. Mix and let simmer for 2 minutes.
- Make sure the soup is still simmering. Dissolve any settled cornstarch in the cornstarch slurry, then add it to the soup while stirring. It should thicken almost immediately. Feel free to add more if you prefer the soup thicker.
- Turn off the heat, then slowly drizzle in the beaten egg while stirring slowly to create beautiful ribbons.
- Finally, add the vinegar and sesame oil. We save the vinegar for last because vinegar loses its sourness as it boils.2.5 tbsp Chinese black vinegar, 1/2 tsp sesame oil
- Adjust any final seasoning if necessary. I like to add more white pepper here. Garnish with scallion greens. Enjoy!
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Made this soup with wontons and we loved it. Thank you!
Wontons sound delicious with this!! Thanks for trying the recipe Sylvia :)