Chinese Hot and Sour Soup with Ramen
on Nov 27, 2019, Updated Oct 05, 2021
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Incredibly delicious Chinese Hot and Sour Soup with Ramen is the perfect comfort food that’s ready in under 30 minutes! It’s a hearty meal, full of veggies, tofu, mushrooms and chicken.
I made this Chinese hot and sour soup a couple of days ago, and I can tell you that it is easily one of the best things I have ever made! This recipe is an interesting twist between how hot and sour soup is made in India and the authentic way of doing it. It’s got the same umami, spicy, aromatic flavors like the authentic version, but it’s also spicy and Indianised just a little bit.
This hot and sour soup is just the kind of thing you want to slurp on while it rains outside. It’s warm, comforting, and so so delicious! This soup is pretty by itself, but I love adding in some noodles every once in a while to make it more hearty and filling. This
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Hot & Sour Soup Ingredients
Chicken: I have used boneless, skinless chicken thigh pieces. You may use breast pieces but make sure to reduce the cook time to ensure they stay juicy and tender through the end.
Tofu: Firm tofu for added protein and texture. You can use paneer instead.
Mushroom: Shiitake mushrooms provide a lovely hint of smokiness and texture. You can use button mushrooms in its place.
Aromatics: Ginger, garlic, celery, green chilli, and spring onion for lots of flavor. These form the base of the hot and sour soup.
Carrot: finely chopped for nutrition and texture.
Sauces: Light and dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, and vinegar provide umami, flavor, and tang.
Spices: White pepper powder for some heat.
Egg: Whisked to create ribbons, which results in tonnes of texture and flavor
Cornstarch: To thicken the soup slightly
Toasted sesame oil: To garnish for an authentic Chinese flavor
Frequently Asked Questions
The list of ingredients in this hot and sour soup with ramen is simple – chillies, ginger, garlic, celery, carrots, mushrooms, tofu, chicken, soy sauce, cornstarch, vinegar and ramen of course. These are things that are probably already in your pantry so its a quick and easy soup to make which is ready in under 30 minutes. Perfect for last minute dinners! Plus leftovers make for fantastic light lunches.
The heat in this chinese hot and sour soup with ramen comes from dried red chillies and white pepper. The soup has to be on the hotter side. The sourness comes from adding vinegar right at the end. If you add the vinegar in the beginning or towards the middle, the vinegar will evaporate during cooking. Which is why we add the vinegar right at the end.
Normally, hot and sour does not have gluten but my version does because I add ramen noodles to it. If you skip the noodles, this will become a gluten free recipe.
Absolutely! You can easily make this recipe with chicken. Just add some shredded chicken while boiling the soup, or add 1/4 inch pieces of raw chicken in the beginning so that they boil and cook as the soup cooks.
Richa’s Top Tips
- Don’t skip the mushroom soaking liquid: The reserved shiitake soaking water adds a deep umami flavour that makes the soup taste much richer.
- Cook on high heat: Stir frying the aromatics and chicken over high heat builds flavour without making the vegetables soggy.
- Add the cornstarch slurry slowly: Stir continuously while pouring it in to prevent lumps. If the soup sits for a while and thickens too much, simply add a splash of hot water while reheating.
- Create perfect egg ribbons: Lower the heat slightly before adding the egg. Pour it in a thin stream while gently stirring the soup in one direction to get delicate ribbons instead of scrambled egg.
- Finish with sesame oil: Add the toasted sesame oil right at the end. Cooking it for too long dulls its nutty aroma.
Storage & Reheating
- Refrigerate: Let the soup cool completely before transferring it to an airtight container. It keeps well in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Freeze: You can freeze the soup for up to 2 months. The tofu texture may become slightly chewier after thawing, but the soup will still taste delicious.
- Reheat: Warm the soup gently on the stovetop over medium heat, stirring occasionally. If it has thickened in the fridge, add a splash of water or stock to loosen it to your preferred consistency. Avoid boiling it vigorously, as this can make the egg ribbons break apart.
Serving Ideas
- Enjoy it as a starter: Serve it hot before your favourite Chinese-inspired meal. It pairs especially well with fried rice, noodles and stir fries.
- Make it a complete meal: Pair it with steamed jasmine rice or add cooked noodles directly to the soup for a filling lunch or dinner.
- Serve with crispy sides: Spring rolls, momos, crispy honey chilli potatoes or chicken lollipops make excellent accompaniments.
- Add your own toppings: Finish with extra spring onion greens, a drizzle of chilli oil, a dash of white pepper or a few drops of vinegar so everyone can customize their bowl.
- Serve piping hot: Hot and sour soup is best enjoyed straight off the stove while it’s steaming and the flavours are at their freshest.
Customisation Ideas
- Turn it into a complete meal: Add cooked noodles like hakka noodles, ramen, rice noodles or egg noodles just before serving to transform the soup into a hearty, satisfying one-bowl meal. You may want to add a splash of extra stock or water since the noodles will absorb some of the broth.
- Make it vegetarian: Skip the chicken and replace the oyster sauce with vegetarian oyster sauce or mushroom stir fry sauce. You can also add more tofu or extra mushrooms.
- Use different mushrooms: Button mushrooms, cremini or oyster mushrooms all work well if you can’t find shiitake mushrooms.
- Add more vegetables: Finely chopped cabbage, bamboo shoots, baby corn, bell peppers or bok choy are all great additions.
- Adjust the heat: Add extra green chillies or a little chilli oil for a spicier soup, or reduce the chilli if you prefer a milder version.
- Make it tangier: If you enjoy a sharper hot and sour soup, stir in an extra teaspoon of vinegar just before serving.
- Boost the protein: Add more chicken, prawns or even shredded cooked chicken to make the soup heartier.
This hot and sour soup with ramen is one of those easy soupy meals that everyone in the family will love. You can turn down the heat if that’s what you prefer but personally, I like that this soup clears up the sinuses and keeps me warm!
Watch Hot & Sour Soup Recipe Video
Chinese Hot and Sour Soup with Ramen
Ingredients
- 140 grams chicken thighs boneless, cut into ¼ inch cubes
- 300 grams tofu, chopped into ¼ inch cubes
- 3 shiitake mushrooms
- 4 ¼ cups water, divided
- 1 tablespoon sunflower or any neutral cooking oil
- 1 tablespoon ginger, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons garlic, finely chopped
- 1 green chilli, finely chopped
- 3 celery sticks, finely chopped
- ¼ cup finely chopped spring onion whites
- ¾ cup finely chopped carrots
- 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 1 teaspoon vinegar
- ½ teaspoon white pepper powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 ½ tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 egg, whisked
- ¼ cup finely chopped spring onion greens
- 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
Instructions
- Soak shiitake mushrooms in 1 cup of boiling water for 10 minutes till they soften. Drain the mushrooms and reserve the soaked water to be used as stock in the soup. Thinly slice the mushrooms and set aside.
- Mix cornstarch in ¼ cup of water to make a slurry and set aside.
- Heat oil in a wok or pot, add ginger, garlic, green chilli, celery, spring onion whites and saute on high for a few seconds till fragrant.
- Add chicken, mushrooms, carrots and saute for 2-3 minutes till the chicken turns pink.
- Add light and dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, vinegar, white pepper powder, salt and saute for 1-2 minutes till the sauces boil and coat the chicken.
- Add 3 cups of water & the reserved stock of shiitake mushrooms, bring to a boil and simmer for 5-6 minutes. Add cornstarch slurry slowly to the pot while stirring continuously. Bring the soup to a quick boil.
- Slowly add in the whisked egg, swirling with a ladle as you create egg ribbons in the soup. Turn off the heat. Top with spring onion greens, toasted sesame oil and serve.
Nutrition
This article was researched and written by Urvi Dalal.
So amazingly good! I made a few changes…didn’t have dried red chilies so used 1 tsp red pepper flakes…doubled the vinegar and the sesame oil. I added 1 tablespoon of gochujang paste at the end! Delicious!!
Yaay! that’s great Denise. so so happy you liked the recipe.
I found this recipe online, and it looked and sounded so lovely and tasty that I decided to try it out for myself. It was a huge hit with both my spouse and myself. What wonderful flavours from such a simple dish (I love those kinds of recipes), and the taste feels like something I toiled over for hours to achieve, haha. Thank you for sharing this information, it is really appreciated.
Thanks so much Virat
Hi, I am looking so forward to attempting this soup, I LOVE Hot and Sour soup and order it every time we have Chinese food! I have a question for you though, what type of red chilies do you use, what are they called?
Hey Michelle, any dried red chillies will do.
The recipe calls for water but the video says vegetable stock???
Hey Nicke, sorry about that. You can use either water or low sodium stock. I’ve fixed it in the recipe
Loved this recipe! I have Chinese international students and using ramen was not ok with them, so I used a Chinese noodle. Wasn’t spicy enough for us (maybe my red chili peppers are mild?) But we added more pepper and more hot peppers and it was delicious and we both loved it!
Thanks Darlee! Ya the heat levels in chillies can differ so I’m glad you were able to adjust them to your taste
Soy sauce usually isn’t gluten free
Thanks for the share. Would this taste good with chinese black vinegar instead of rice vinegar?
Yea I think it should work
I must try this! I can eat soup all day everyday!
Thanks Jennifer!
this totally hit the spot!!! thank you!
Thanks April!
This looks so awesome and good! Rice noodles or buckwheat noodles (100%) might make good gluten-free substitutions.