hot and sour soup recipe – step by step recipe to make a spicy, sour and hot vegetable soup from the indo chinese cuisine.
come winters and we really look forward to having hot bowl of soups in the season, even though we are not much of soup lovers. its the magic of winters, i think. its not only soups, but we also prefer steaming hot dal or veg stews.
soups are so comforting and warm in this cold and dry season. as a person who loves this season in india, i also look forward to the fresh vegetables and greens available in the local markets.
sharing today a favorite soup recipe from the fusion indo chinese cuisine. this soup recipe is aptly titled, hot and sour soup. the hot element comes from ingredients like chilies or black pepper. so either red chili paste or green chili sauce is added. adding the chili paste and sauce, gives the soup its pungent and hot taste. some folks add black or white pepper to get this quality of heat. in this recipe, i have added black pepper, as its easily available at home, than a chili sauce or paste.
the sour element in the soup comes from vinegar. i have added rice vinegar. you can also use a good quality chinese vinegar. even regular white vinegar can be added, if you don’t have rice vinegar. depending on the flavor and quality of the vinegar added, the soup will get its smoky and sour flavor.
veggies can be of you choice. even bamboo shoots, sprouts and tofu can be added. you can also add dried mushrooms. since dried mushrooms are not available here, i have added fresh button mushrooms. another similar spicy and hot soup recipe is manchow soup recipe made from mix vegetables.
the soups that they serve at restaurants is usually very thick, which we do not like. so i usually keep a slightly thin consistency. but if you want a slightly thick consistency, then just add 1 or 2 tsp more of the corn starch.
this hot and sour soup makes for a good starter recipe with an indo chinese menu. the recipe can be easily doubled or tripled. you can also have the leftover soup the next day.
if you are looking for more soup recipes then do check:
hot and sour soup
INGREDIENTS FOR hot and sour soup
- 1 small carrot Or about 50 grams carrots Or ¼ cup grated carrots (gajar)
- 5 to 6 button mushrooms Or ¾ cup sliced mushrooms
- ¼ cup shredded cabbage
- ¼ cup finely chopped french beans
- 1 small onion, finely chopped Or about ¼ cup finely chopped onions
- 1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic (lahsun)
- 1 teaspoon finely chopped ginger (adrak)
- 2 teaspoon finely chopped celery optional
- 4 to 5 teaspoon corn starch dissolved in 2 tablespoon water (for a slight thicker consistency in the soup - dissolve 6 to 7 teaspoon corn starch in 3 tablespoon water)
- ¾ teaspoon black pepper or white pepper Or ¾ teaspoon red chili paste or green chili sauce
- 3 teaspoon soy sauce or add as required
- 2 teaspoon rice vinegar or add as required
- 2.5 cups water or veg stock
- 2 to 3 teaspoon chopped coriander leaves (dhania patta)
- 1 tablespoon oil
- salt as required
HOW TO MAKE hot and sour soup
preparation for hot and sour soup
- first rinse and shred the cabbage and french beans.
- wipe the mushrooms with a wet cloth and then slice them.
- rinse, peel and grate the carrots. chop the onions, ginger and garlic.
stir frying veggies for hot and sour soup
- heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan or kadai (wok).
- add finely chopped onion, ginger and garlic. stir and saute on a medium flame for 2 minutes.
- then add the finely chopped french beans. stir and add the sliced mushrooms.
- on a medium to high flame, stir fry till the mushrooms get lightly browned from the edges.
- meanwhile make a paste of corn starch and water. keep aside.
- once the mushrooms are lightly browned (takes about 5 to 6 minutes on a medium to high flame) add carrots, cabbage and celery.
- stir fry these veggies on a high flame for 2 to 3 minutes.
making hot and sour soup
- add water or veg stock. stir well. add soy sauce and stir.
- then season with salt.
- keep a check on the amount of salt as soy sauce already has a lot of salt. i added just about one-fourth teaspoon first and adjusted towards the end.
- bring the soup to a simmer on medium flame.
- stir the corn starch paste and add it to the soup. stir again very well.
- allow the soup to thicken on a low to medium flame.
- when the hot and sour soup has thickened, add black pepper or white pepper and vinegar.
- give a final stir. switch off the flame. check the taste and add more soy sauce, vinegar or salt or black pepper if required.
- serve the hot and sour soup steaming hot garnished with coriander leaves.
- you can also just add the coriander leaves towards the end and then serve the hot n sour soup.
stir frying veggies for hot and sour soup
1. first rinse and shred the cabbage and french beans. wipe the mushrooms with a wet cloth and then slice them. rinse, peel and grate the carrots. chop the onions, ginger and garlic. here i have added red cabbage, but you can easily add green cabbage.
2. heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan or wok/kadai. add finely chopped onion, ginger and garlic.
3. stir and saute on a medium flame for 2 minutes.
4. then add the finely chopped french beans. stir.
5. add the sliced mushrooms.
6. on a medium to high flame, stir fry till the mushrooms get lightly browned from the edges.
7. meanwhile make a paste of corn starch and water. keep aside.
8. once the mushrooms are lightly browned (takes about 5 to 6 minutes on a medium to high flame) add carrots, cabbage and celery.
9. stir fry on a high flame for 2 to 3 minutes.
making hot and sour soup
10. add water or veg stock.
11. stir well.
12. add soy sauce and stir.
13. then season with salt. keep a check on the amount of salt as soy sauce already has a lot of salt. i added just about one-fourth teaspoon first and adjusted towards the end.
14. bring the soup to a simmer on medium flame.
15. stir the corn starch paste and add it to the soup.
16. stir again very well.
17. allow the soup to thicken on a low to medium flame, which takes a couple of minutes.
18. when the soup has thickened, add black pepper or white pepper.
19. add rice vinegar or any good quality chinese vinegar.
20. give a final stir to the hot and sour soup . switch off the flame. check the taste and add more soy sauce, vinegar or salt or black pepper if required.
21. serve the veg hot and sour soup steaming hot garnished with coriander leaves. you can also just mix the coriander leaves in the soup, after adding vinegar and then serve hot n sour soup.
Hi,
Thanks for the great recipe, it was a total hit in my house. just trying to eat healthy can you please suggest an alternative for cornstarch to?
thanks for the feedback. alternatives to corn starch are tapioca flour, arrowroot flour and potato starch flour. hope this helps.
Thanks for this great recipe. I made it without oil and mushrooms. Also added water chestnuts and put red hot sauce, serrano pepper, and black pepper to try and get it very spicy. Double or tripled the ginger too. It was totally a hit with my husband and I enjoyed too, which is saying something as I’m not generally a fan of hot and sour soup.
welcome april and thanks for sharing this lovely feedback. loved the variations you added in the soup. am sure they must have made the soup taste too good.
Thank you for an easy and delicious recipe. We enjoyed this hot and sour soup on a cold winter day.
Now let me tell you that I have been using your blog for many dishes. When my kids ask me what I’m making for dinner and I say it’s something new from vegrecipesofindia, they just know it’ll be good. In fact, my 8 year old son has been asking me to write and let you know how much we like your recipes. I rarely write reviews but I’m trying to change that (have to follow my son’s advice 🙂
I really appreciate your efforts in presenting recipes from different parts of India and the world with such accuracy and detail. All the recipes I have tried so far are well written and fool-proof. It’s as if you know what mistakes someone could make and add tips and substitutions indicating what would and would not work. Your presentation style instills an interest in cooking from scratch. Thank you for being an inspiration to cook a wide variety of things outside my comfort zone.
I was trying to see if there is a main page where I could leave this general feedback but didn’t see any. Hence thought of sharing my thoughts in this recipe comment itself. Once again, thanks and keep up the great work.
thank you very much deepa 🙏. please convey my thanks to your son too 🙂. also wish you and your family a happy new year with light, love and abundance.
i do take care of writing in details and also write about tips etc as i do know what can go wrong. do try more recipes as well and i am sure you will like them. we do not have any general feedback page. so the feedback is on the individual recipe page itself.
thanks again 🙂
Thank you Dassana. Wish you too a very Happy New Year 2018!
I definitely plan to try out more recipes. I’m also trying to add comments to all the recipes I have tried so far. It’s indeed a looooooong list 🙂
welcome deepa. sure do try more recipes. you can give feedback whenever you have time or are free. have a great new year.
Hi Mr. Amit….. I am a huge fan of urs recipe.. This recipe was superb… N SO Easy for working woman… My husband loved it…. Thank u very much… 🙂
Welcome Dr. Shruti. Thanks for your kind words and for giving positive feedback on this soup recipe.
Is it compulsary to use vinegar. Or any replacement can be done…
you can skip vinegar or add a bit of lemon juice on the soup is done.
hi dassana can i use tinned mushrooms for this soup?
you can use.
Hi Dassana,
Thank you so much for the wonderful recipe.
Can you please suggest some healthy option to go with this soup apart from rice and breads?
nehal, usually soups pair very well with of course breads and pasta or noodles. you can have a side of some carbs like roasted potatoes or sweet potatoes or yam to go with the soup. even a dish like sautéed mushrooms or roasted mushrooms goes well with soups. you can also consider using brown rice. if you like pasta or noodles, you can use whole wheat pasta or noodles, if you are fine with processed foods. as both pasta and noodles are processed. another option which i personally prefer is some savoury rolled oats porridge plain or without veggies made with water/milk and a bit of cream. you can add a side of mashed potatoes too or roasted aubergines or blanched french beans salad. quinoa also can be paired.