Joanne Chang's Hot and Sour Soup
Genius Recipes
Photo by Mark Weinberg
- Serves
- 4 to 6
- Prep Time
- 10 Minutes
- Cook Time
- 25 Minutes
As Flour bakery owner Joanne Chang writes in her cookbook Flour, Too, “My mom used to whip this up as a fast lunch for my brother and me, and I have taught it to the Flour chefs, so they now offer it as a daily soup special. It always sells out, and Mom is thrilled to be a part of the Flour menu.” Their recipe skips some of the ingredients common to Chinese regional variations of hot and sour soup, thickens with egg rather than cornstarch, and swaps sliced pork for ground—a change that "makes the preparation of this soup ultraquick," as Joanne writes—and still delivers the sour, spicy sting we crave. From Flour, Too (Chronicle Books, 2013). On The Genius Recipe Tapes, Kristen checked in with chef and co-owner of Flour Bakery and Myers & Chang Joanne Chang—they discussed how the past year has gone, "the mom test," and what authenticity means to Joanne in her work. Listen here.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon 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 ounce ground pork
- 4 cup 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 tablespoon 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
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Directions
- Step 1
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.
- Step 2
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.
- Step 3
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.)