Hot and Sour Soup

Name: Hot and Sour Soup
Prep time: 35 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 45 min
Cuisine: Chinese
Ingredients: ⅓ cup (12 g) dried shiitake mushrooms; ¼ cup (12 g) dried wood ear mushrooms; ¼ cup (10 g) dried lily flowers; 4½ to 6 cups (1 to 1.4 L) hot water; 2 tablespoons Chinkiang vinegar; ½ to 1 teaspoon white pepper powder, or to taste; 2 teaspoons minced ginger; 2 scallions, chopped; ½ block (8 ounces, or 227 g) firm tofu, cut into ½-inch (1 cm) cubes; 1 tablespoon light soy sauce (or soy sauce); 1 tablespoon light soy sauce (or soy sauce); 3 tablespoons cornstarch; 1 teaspoon mushroom powder; 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste, plus more if needed; 4 fresh yuba sheets, cut into strips (optional); Toasted sesame oil, for garnishing; Chopped cilantro, for garnishing

Preparation info

Yield
4
servings

Difficulty
Easy
Ready in
45 min

Appears in

Chinese Homestyle

By Maggie Zhu

Published 2022

About

Making a truly flavorful hot and sour soup requires a bit of time and patience, as you must soak the dry ingredients in advance. But once you’ve learned how to use dried lily flowers and shiitake mushrooms to create an earthy broth base, you can change up this recipe with different vegetables and get an authentic taste of China.

Ingredients

⅓ cup (12 g) dried shiitake mushrooms
¼ cup (12

Asia
China
Soup
Vegan

Method

In separate medium bowls, soak the dried shiitake mushrooms, wood ear mushrooms, and lily flowers in 1½ to 2 cups (360 to 480 ml) of the hot water for 20 minutes, or until tender throughout. Squeeze out excess water from the shiitakes and rub off any debris. Reserve the shiitake soaking water. Trim and discard the tough ends, then slice the shiitakes into strips. Trim an