Hot and Sour Chicken Soup

®This is a RAS signature Recipe©

You will LOVE this soup!  The classic comfort of a big bowl of Hot and Sour Chicken soup. Truly satisfying.

The Recipe Intro↓ has more information, more soup links as well as the same Recipe Video. Don’t forget to check it out.

please also check out the Chinese version of Hot and Sour Soup

You can strike through ingredients, as you prep them, by clicking on the ingredient.

Ingredients:

Method:

1. Cut the carrot and cabbage into juliennes and set aside.
2. Cut chicken into large chunks and add to a saucepan with 3 cups of water. Add salt(1/2tsp) and black pepper(1/4tsp).
3. Bring the liquid to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, just till the chicken is cooked. Do not boil the chicken too long, it should just be cooked through to the centre. (Check by cutting one piece in half after approximately 6 minutes).
4. Allow to cool down a bit, then remove the chicken pieces from the broth and reserve this broth/stock for later.
5. Cut or shred the chicken into bite-size strips.
6. Heat oil(2Tbsp) in a deep pan/stockpot.  Add the minced garlic(1tsp) and cook briefly. It should not go brown.
7. Quickly add the carrot sticks, and stir-fry, till softening.
8. Add the cabbage, next and stir-fry briefly, then add the cooked chicken shreds.
9. Stir well to allow the chicken pieces to absorb the flavour from the garlic. (About 30 seconds).
10. Now, add the reserved stock as well as enough water (3-4 cups extra water).
11. Bring it to a boil, adding the light soy sauce(2Tbsp). Stir in the Szechuan sauce(2Tbsp), or to taste. (I will be adding a recipe for homemade Szechuan sauce soon).
12. Simmer the soup just briefly.
13. Add the cornflour(3Tbsp) to a small bowl with water(5Tbsp) and stir well.  Add this ‘slurry’ to the simmering soup and stir through. Give it a brief minute to allow the soup to thicken up.
14. Meanwhile, crack eggs(2Nos) into the same small bowl and beat them lightly.
15. Now, take a long wooden ladle and stir the soup in circular motions – in one direction to create a whirlpool effect.
16. Then reduce the heat to a very gently simmer, and pour in the lightly beaten eggs in a circle over the soup.
17. Stir again with the ladle, gently and slowly in one direction. The raw eggs will cook almost instantaneously as they ‘spread and feather’ into ribbons. Don’t cook too long. As soon as the eggs set. TURN OFF the heat.
18. Now, for seasoning, add the Black Vinegar(2 Tbsp) and White pepper powder(1/2 tsp) into the hot soup.
19. Garnish with chopped spring onion greens and this yummy soup is ready for you to serve!

Hot and Sour Chicken Soup

Notes:

• Do adjust the amount of Soy sauce, as different brands may be different. Since the reserved stock already has salt, be cautious when adding soy sauce to the stock.
• Julienne cut is a culinary knife cut in which the food item is cut into long thin strips, similar to matchsticks. Also known as allumette, or french cut. The strips are usually about 3 inches long and 1/16- to 1/8-inch thick.  To Jullien cut, carrot: peel and cut crosswise 21/2 – 3 inch lengths. Thinly slice using a chefs knife to uniform, 1/8 inch thick slabs. Stack a few slabs at a time and cut lengthwise into thin matchstick-sized sticks. Similarly, cabbage can be separated into 3-inch sized sheets and then stacked and cut into strips.
• Light Soy sauce is added for salt and flavour but different brands vary. Add according to how salty your stock was to begin with. Careful not to add too much soy sauce.
• If dark soy sauce is used the soup will be darker in colour. Dark soy is less salty than light soy sauce, so you may need to add salt, to adjust.
• Szechuan Sauce is a sauce made from fresh red chillies, garlic, onion, ginger, spice, tomato puree and vinegar. For the Chinese version, actual Sichuan peppercorns are added, which has a numbing heat. However, in the Indo Chinese version, this is often replaced with black and/or white peppercorn. Check out my Szechuan Sauce recipe.
• White Pepper powder must be used at the end of this recipe. Using black pepper powder does not create the same authentic flavour.
• Chinese black vinegar is a dark complex vinegar made of glutinous rice and malt. Similar to a balsamic, used in Chinese stir-frys, braises, soups and sauces. If you do not have this, replace with a smaller quantity of balsamic vinegar or distilled vinegar. You can add a pinch of sugar to balance the tastes.
• For the vegetarian version replace chicken with sliced button mushrooms.

Key Ingredients for Indo-Chinese Hot and Sour Soup: Chicken, Carrot, Cabbage, Egg, Garlic, Spring Onion, Cornflour, Soy Sauce, Szechuan Sauce, Black Vinegar, Black pepper, Oil, Salt, White Pepper.

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Hot and Sour Chicken Soup

Author: Shana Shameer