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Hot and sour soup is versatile and easy to switch up while maintaining the overall flavor profile.
For purists, traditionally hot and sour soup is made with chicken broth, shiitake mushrooms, tofu, bamboo shoots, soy sauce, rice vinegar, white pepper, chicken or pork and egg.
Personally, I don’t care for bamboo shoots and tofu is a migraine trigger for me. Shiitake mushrooms are quite expensive in my neck of the woods so I used baby portobello mushrooms instead. I had a bag of coleslaw mix that needed to be used and substituted it for the bamboo shoots. I bypassed the chicken/pork as well. I kept all the traditional seasonings including the cornstarch to give it that silky texture.
The end result was a traditionally tasting hot and sour soup that had cabbage in it instead of the classic mainstays – hence hot and sour soup my way. I was happy with it and the hubby couldn’t get enough of it.
Please see the recipe card below for exact amounts and directions.
Ingredient Round Up
- Chicken broth – Vegetable broth can be substituted.
- Baby portobello mushrooms – Shiitake mushrooms can be substituted.
- Coleslaw mix – Bamboo shoots can be substituted.
- Onion or scallions
- Fresh ginger
- Rice vinegar
- Reduced sodium soy sauce
- Dark soy sauce – If you don’t have or can’t find dark soy sauce, use all reduced sodium soy sauce.
- Sesame oil
- White pepper
- Cornstarch
- Egg whites – Whole egg can be substituted.
Making the Soup
- Clean and slice the portobello mushrooms and place in a sauce/soup pot. Add the chicken broth to the pot and start to cook over medium heat.
- Slice the onion and then cut the slices in half. Peel and chop the ginger. Add to the pot with the mushrooms and broth.
- Add the coleslaw mix, soy sauces, rice vinegar, white pepper, sesame oil and continue to cook. Once the soup comes to a boil, lower the heat to low and simmer until the mushrooms and coleslaw are tender. Taste the soup and add more salt and white pepper if needed.
- Mix the cornstarch with some broth or water and mix to make a slurry.
- Add the cornstarch slurry to the soup as you are swirling the soup with a spoon. Mix into the soup and continue to simmer.
- Beat the egg whites in a small bowl and drop slowly into the soup as you draw a fork through the soup. You want the egg whites to form ribbons in the soup.
- Once the egg whites are cooked, serve the soup and enjoy. Refrigerate leftovers.
Serving Ideas
- Hot and sour soup can be served for lunch, dinner or as an appetizer.
- Dumplings or egg rolls can be served with a bowl of this soup for a satisfying lunch.
- For dinner, hot and sour soup can be served with cauliflower fried rice, lo mein, chicken stir fried or another Asian entrée of your choice.
WW 1 pt per serving | makes 6 servings
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 79.1kcal
Equipment
- Chef knife
- cutting boared
- sauce pot
- measuring spoons
Ingredients
- 48 oz unsalted chicken broth, Swanson (1.5 carton)
- 8 oz portobello mushrooms
- 1 small onion, green onions can be substituted
- 12 oz bag coleslaw mix
- 2 tbsp reduced sodium soy sauce
- 2 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 3 tbsp rice vinegar, white or apple vinegar can be substituted
- 1 tsp minced fresh ginger
- 3 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- ½ tsp white pepper
- 3 egg whites, can substitute 1 or 2 whole eggs
- ¼ c water or chicken broth
Instructions
- Clean and slice the portobello mushrooms. Place them in a suitable sized sauce/soup pan.
- Add the chicken broth and begin to cook over medium heat.
- Slice the onion and then cut the slices in half. Peel and mince the ginger.
- Add the onion, minced ginger and coleslaw mix to the soup and continue to cook.
- Add the soy sauces, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and white pepper. As soon as the soup comes to a boil, lower the heat and continue to simmer until the cabbage is tender. Taste the soup. If you want the spice level hotter, add more white pepper. If you think the salt level from the soy sauce isn't enough, add some salt.
- Mix the cornstarch with either water or chicken broth and mix to form a slurry.
- As you are swirling the soup with a spoon, add the cornstarch slurry and mix thoroughly and continue to simmer the soup.
- Place the egg whites in a small bowl and beat with a fork. Use a fork to swirl the soup as you slowly add the egg whites to the soup. You are looking to generate ribbons or small pieces of egg whites in the soup as opposed to big clumps of egg white.
- The egg white will cook rapidly as it hits the hot soup. Once all the egg white has been added continue to simmer the soup for another couple of minutes.
- Remove the soup from the heat. Ladle up a bowl and serve. If you have green onions, you can cut a few slices and sprinkle it over the top of the soup as garnish.
- Refrigerate leftovers.
Notes
The first time I made this soup, I used all reduced sodium soy sauce as my local grocery store did not have dark soy sauce and the flavor was good.
Once I found dark soy sauce, I made this recipe using both the dark soy sauce and the reduced sodium soy sauce. I didn't really notice any difference in flavor compared to the version using all reduced sodium soy sauce.
Nutrition
Serving: 1servings | Calories: 79.1kcal | Carbohydrates: 10.8g | Protein: 6.1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 0.1g | Sodium: 446mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3.5g
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
