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Hot and Sour Soup - Peking Style Kosher Chinese Soup

Hot and sour soup (potage pekinois) is one of the most beloved Chinese soups in restaurants, alongside wonton soup. This thick, exotic broth warms you up on cold evenings and can make a complete meal. I also love serving it as a starter for a Chinese meal, with spring rolls on the side and chicken with black mushrooms and bamboo shoots.

Chloé Flam

Hot and Sour Soup - Peking Style Kosher Chinese Soup

Ingredients

Check off ingredients as you go

    Serves 6

    • 40g (1.4 oz) mushrooms (Shiitake, black or half and half)
    • 200g (7 oz) bamboo shoots (jarred)
    • 150g (5 oz) carrots
    • 400g (14 oz) chicken breast cut into pieces
    • 1/2 tsp white pepper (or Sichuan pepper)

    For the broth

    • 1cm (½ inch) fresh ginger, minced
    • 2 tbsp neutral oil
    • 3 tbsp tapioca starch (or cornstarch)
    • 3 tbsp light soy sauce
    • 3 tbsp rice vinegar
    • 2 eggs, beaten
    • 1.5L (6 cups) water
    • 1-2 scallions (or green onions)
    • To serve
    • a few fresh cilantro leaves

    Preparing the ingredients for hot and sour soup

    1. Soak the black and/or shiitake mushrooms in warm water to rehydrate for about twenty minutes or until tender. Rinse, drain and cut into strips. Cut the chicken into pieces. Rinse the bamboo shoots and drain. Cut the carrots into matchsticks, or grate them. In a bowl, beat the eggs into an omelet.

    Preparing the hot and sour soup broth

    1. In a large pot or Dutch oven, sauté the sliced scallions without browning, then add the mushrooms, bamboo shoots, and carrots. Add the soy sauce, mix well, then pour in 1.5L (6 cups) water with the tapioca (or cornstarch, but in that case dilute it first to avoid lumps). Add the ginger and chicken. Let simmer for about fifteen minutes until the soup thickens. Lower the heat and add the beaten egg, wait a few seconds then stir in a zigzag motion to form small strands. Add the pepper and vinegar - it’s ready.

    Serve hot in bowls and garnish with fresh cilantro.

    Tips and variations

    • This soup is quite spicy thanks to the pepper and vinegar. If you don’t like it too spicy, adjust the quantity.
    • For a vegetarian version, it’s entirely possible to make this recipe without chicken, replacing it with firm tofu cut into small cubes, or not, as in miso soup.
    • The tapioca (or cornstarch) is what thickens the soup, so adjust the amount depending on your desired consistency.
    • If you prepare this soup ahead of time, don’t add the vinegar and pepper. Add them when reheating.

    If you love Asian soups, you should also try:

    Miso soup

    Miso soup

    Click on the image for the recipe

    Wonton soup - Chinese dumplings

    Wonton soup - Chinese dumplings

    Click on the image for the recipe

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