Eat Healthy and Cheap
Hot and Sour Soup
Hot and sour soup gets its character from contrast: mushrooms that are chewy against tofu that is soft, vinegar that stays sharp against pepper that lingers. The classic version thickens the broth with cornstarch and finishes it with a stream of beaten egg. Here, whisked silken tofu takes over that job, setting into the same pale ribbons when drizzled into the simmering broth. Splitting the black vinegar into two additions, half early and half after the heat is off, keeps the sourness bright instead of letting a long simmer round it down.
Ingredients
- 1/2 oz Dried shiitake, soaked and thinly sliced, soaking liquid reserved
- 1/2 oz Wood ear mushrooms, soaked in the same water, then julienned
- 8 oz Firm tofu, cut into matchsticks
- 6 oz Silken tofu, whisked smooth with a ladle of hot broth
- 1 Carrot, julienned
- 3 cloves Garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp Ginger, minced
- 3 Scallions, sliced, whites and greens kept separate
- 2 tbsp Low-sodium tamari
- 3 tbsp Chinese black vinegar, divided
- 1 tsp White pepper, plus more to taste
- 3 tbsp Cornstarch, slurried with 1/4 cup (60 ml) cold water
Method
- Cover the dried shiitake and wood ear mushrooms with 2 cups (475 ml) just-boiled water and soak for 20 minutes, until pliable. The soaking liquid becomes the base of the broth, so do not throw it out.
- Lift the mushrooms out and squeeze them dry over the bowl. Strain the soaking liquid through a coffee filter or fine sieve into a pot, since wood ear holds grit in its folds that only straining removes. Add plain water to bring the total to 6 cups (1.4 L).
- Trim the shiitake stems and slice the caps thin. Julienne the wood ear into ribbons to match.
- Bring the broth to a simmer. Add the carrots, garlic, ginger, and scallion whites, and simmer for 5 minutes, until the carrots soften slightly.
- Add the sliced mushrooms, the tamari, half the black vinegar, and the white pepper. Simmer for 5 minutes so the mushrooms give more of their flavor to the broth.
- Stir the cornstarch slurry to recombine, then pour it into the pot in a thin stream while stirring. Simmer for 1 minute, until the broth turns glossy and coats a spoon lightly, the texture that makes this soup feel substantial without any roux.
- Slide in the tofu matchsticks and simmer for 2 minutes, just to heat through, then turn off the heat.
- Whisk the silken tofu smooth and drizzle it into the pot in a slow stream while stirring the broth in one direction. It sets into pale ribbons the way beaten egg would, without the egg.
- Stir in the remaining black vinegar now, off the heat, so the sour stays sharp instead of simmering flat. Taste and adjust with more vinegar or white pepper, then ladle into bowls and scatter with the scallion greens.
Nutrition
Estimated per serving: 120 calories, 9 g protein, 3 g fiber. Computed from USDA FoodData Central reference values for the main ingredients. This is an approximation, not a laboratory measurement.
Cost per serving is estimated from US national-average retail prices for cheap staple forms, using BLS dried-bean prices and USDA produce prices. Prices vary by store and season, so treat it as a guide, not a receipt.
