Hot and Sour Soup — Chinese Suan La Tang
The takeout favourite done right: a savoury broth made genuinely hot from white pepper and genuinely sour from black vinegar, thick with silky ribbons of egg, soft tofu, wood-ear mushroom and bamboo shoot, lightly thickened to a velvety body. Suan la tang is fast, warming and endlessly adjustable — the balance of pepper-heat and vinegar-tang, added at the end, is what separates a great bowl from a gloopy one.
Simmer a good stock with shredded soft tofu, soaked wood-ear mushroom, bamboo shoot and (if you like) pork or shiitake, seasoned with soy and a little dark soy. Thicken it lightly with a cornstarch slurry to a velvety body. Stir in a beaten egg in a thin stream so it sets into silky ribbons. Then — off the boil — season generously with black (Chinkiang) vinegar for sour and white pepper for heat. Taste and balance, finish with sesame oil and spring onion, and serve hot.
- The heat comes from white pepper and the sour from black (Chinkiang) vinegar — add both at the end and balance to taste.
- Drizzle the beaten egg in slowly into gently moving (not boiling) soup for silky ribbons.
- Thicken lightly with cornstarch for body — aim for velvety, not gloopy.
Equipment
- Pot
- Whisk/ladle
- Small bowls (slurry, egg)
Ингредиенты
Soup
- 1.2 L chicken or vegetable stock
- 200 g soft tofu, shredded
- Wood-ear mushroom (soaked) and bamboo shoot, shredded
- Optional: shredded pork or shiitake
- 2 tbsp soy sauce; 1 tsp dark soy sauce
Thicken & finish
- 3 tbsp cornstarch mixed with water (slurry)
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 3–4 tbsp black (Chinkiang) vinegar, to taste
- 1–2 tsp ground white pepper, to taste; sesame oil; spring onion
Приготовление
- ШАГ01
Bring the stock to a simmer with the shredded tofu, wood-ear, bamboo shoot and pork/shiitake if using. Season with the soy and dark soy. Simmer a few minutes until everything is heated through.
- ШАГ02
Stir the cornstarch slurry again and drizzle it into the simmering soup, stirring, until lightly thickened to a velvety, not gloopy, body.
- ШАГ03
With the soup gently moving but not at a rolling boil, slowly pour in the beaten egg in a thin stream, stirring once, so it sets into silky ribbons.
- ШАГ04
Take the pot off the heat. Stir in the black vinegar (sour) and white pepper (heat) generously, then taste and balance — it should be bracingly tangy and warming. Adjust vinegar and pepper to your liking.
- ШАГ05
Stir in a few drops of sesame oil, scatter with spring onion, and serve hot. The flavours fade as it sits, so it's best fresh.
Make ahead
You can prep the components — soak the wood-ear, shred the tofu, bamboo and pork, mix the slurry — ahead. The soup itself comes together in minutes and is best cooked fresh, with the vinegar and white pepper added at the end just before serving so the hot-sour kick stays vivid.
Storage
Best fresh — the egg ribbons and the bright hot-sour balance soften on storage, and the cornstarch-thickened broth can thin out. It keeps a day refrigerated; reheat gently and refresh with a little extra vinegar and white pepper to revive the punch. Add fresh vinegar each time rather than storing it heavily seasoned.
Variations
Vegetarian
Use vegetable stock and shiitake (skip pork); it's naturally hearty with tofu and wood-ear.
With more body
Add shredded bamboo, lily buds (golden needles) or shredded carrot for a loaded bowl.
Adjust the punch
Like it fierce? Add more white pepper and a touch of chilli oil; like it tangy? Lean into the black vinegar.
Serve with
Nutrition per serving
Nutrition values are estimates based on the metric measurements. Adjust as needed.
Частые вопросы
What makes hot and sour soup hot and sour?
The 'hot' comes mainly from ground white pepper (not chilli), which gives a distinctive, penetrating heat, and the 'sour' from Chinese black vinegar (Chinkiang), which is dark, malty and tangy. Both are added at the end and balanced to taste. That combination — peppery heat and vinegary tang — is the defining character of the soup.
How do I get silky egg ribbons?
Beat the eggs well, then pour them slowly in a thin stream into the soup while it's gently moving but not at a rolling boil, stirring just once or twice. The egg sets instantly into delicate ribbons. Pouring too fast, or into a violent boil, gives clumpy or shredded egg instead of smooth strands.
What is wood-ear mushroom, and do I need it?
Wood-ear (black fungus) is a dark, crunchy-gelatinous mushroom sold dried; you soak it and shred it. It gives hot and sour soup its signature texture and is fairly traditional. If you can't find it, shiitake or extra bamboo shoot add body, but wood-ear's particular springy crunch is hard to replicate exactly.
Why did my soup turn gloopy or thin?
Gloopy means too much cornstarch or it was over-thickened; thin means too little, or the acid/heat broke the starch down over time. Add the slurry gradually to reach a light, velvety body — you can always add more. Because the texture and the hot-sour punch both fade on standing, the soup is best served soon after finishing.
Can I make it vegetarian?
Easily — use a good vegetable stock, skip the pork, and lean on tofu, wood-ear and shiitake mushrooms for savoury depth and texture. The egg can stay (or go, for vegan, replacing it with extra tofu). The hot-sour seasoning of white pepper and black vinegar carries the soup regardless of the protein.
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