Joanne Chang's Hot and Sour Soup
★★★★☆
PREP TIME
10 minutes
COOK TIME
25 minutes
SERVES
4 to 6
Ingredients
2 tablespoons
vegetable oil
1
garlic clove, smashed and minced
1 tablespoon
minced fresh ginger
4
scallions, white and green parts, minced, plus more for garnish
8 ounces
ground pork
4 cups
store-bought or homemade chicken stock
1 pound
soft or firm tofu (not silken and not extra firm), cut into 1/2-inch cubes
4
medium button mushrooms, wiped clean and thinly sliced (or substitute dried, rehydrated wood ear mushrooms)
1 teaspoon
granulated sugar
2/3 cup
rice vinegar, or to taste
3 tablespoons
soy sauce, or to taste
1 teaspoon
freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
1 tablespoon
sesame oil, plus more for garnish
1 tablespoon
Sriracha sauce, or to taste
2
large eggs
1 pinch
White or black pepper for garnish
Instructions
- In the saucepan, heat the vegetable oil over medium-high heat until hot. Add the garlic, ginger, scallions, and pork and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 1 minute. You want to break up the pork into smaller pieces with a spoon, but don’t worry about breaking it down completely or cooking it through.
- Add the stock and bring to a simmer. Add the tofu, mushrooms, sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, black pepper, sesame oil, and Sriracha sauce and bring the soup back to a simmer over medium-high heat. Taste the soup. If you want it hotter, add more Sriracha sauce; if you want it more sour, add more vinegar.
- In a small bowl, whisk the eggs until blended. With the soup at a steady simmer, slowly whisk in the eggs so they form strands. Bring the soup back to a simmer. Divide the soup among 4 to 6 bowls and garnish each with a little sesame oil, scallion, and white or black pepper. Serve immediately. (Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. The soup may take on a slightly different appearance, but it will taste just the same.)
