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Overview

Hot and Sour Soup

Suan La Tang — Sichuan Hot and Sour Soup

This hot and sour soup recipe balances white pepper heat with black vinegar tang in a thickened chicken broth, with silky tofu, pork strips, bamboo shoots and wood ear mushrooms. One serving is about 440 g.

Hot and sour soup — suan la tang in Chinese — is built on two flavours: the heat of white pepper and the sourness of black vinegar. It comes from Sichuan, where peppery, sour soups have long been cooked to warm the body in the damp cold, and it travelled north and then around the world with Chinese restaurants. The classic bowl is thickened with cornstarch, ribboned with egg, and filled with tofu, pork, bamboo shoots and wood ear mushrooms — every spoonful carrying a little of everything.

Pairs well with: Steamed rice, spring rolls and jasmine tea

Provenance

China flag China

Sichuan Classic

East & South Asia

Time Dedication

35m

15m prep • 20m cook

Batch Yield

4 Servings

259 kcal per serving

1 serving ≈ 440 g

Technical Skill

Easy

Easy (One Pot)

Meal Timing & Digestive Fit

Breakfast

Not Advised

Lunch

Prime Metabolic Fit

Dinner

Ideal Hearty Main

Snack & Tea

Inappropriate

Soups & Broths Occasions: Cold days, light lunches, Chinese meals, when you want something warming Cost: Low — about $2–3 per serving at home
Tags: Pork Tofu Spicy Sour Soup
A bowl of hot and sour soup with tofu, spring onion and egg ribbons

Sichuan Classic

Photo: Guilhem Vellut, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The Heritage Formulary

Measured Ingredients

Estimated cost: Low — about $2–3 per serving at home (USD)

A true hot and sour soup is thick enough to coat a spoon, with visible egg ribbons and a clear pepper heat — never thin, and never just spicy without the sour.

Execution Methodology & Culinary Technique

Step-by-Step Cooking Guide

Active 35m
P

Prep Stage: Slice and Measure

15 Mins • Slicing & Measuring

Slice the pork and tofu into thin strips, slice the bamboo shoots and mushrooms, and beat the eggs. Mix the cornstarch with 60 ml of cold water into a smooth slurry, and measure the soy sauce, vinegar, white pepper, sugar and oils into small bowls so everything is ready to go — the last five minutes of this soup move fast.

Maestro Tip: Cut everything the same size — thin, even strips cook in the same time and look right in the bowl.

  1. 1

    Simmer the Soup

    10 Mins Gentle simmer, about 95°C (203°F)

    Bring the stock to a gentle simmer in a large pot. Add the pork strips, bamboo shoots, wood ear and shiitake, and simmer 8 minutes until the pork is cooked through and the mushrooms are tender. Skim off any foam.

    Keep the simmer gentle — a hard boil makes the pork tough and clouds the broth.

    Done when: The pork strips are cooked through, 71°C (160°F), and the mushrooms are tender.

  2. 2

    Thicken the Soup

    2 Mins Gentle simmer, about 95°C (203°F)

    Stir the cornstarch slurry once more, then pour it into the soup in a slow stream while stirring. Simmer 2 minutes until the soup thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon.

    Always re-stir the slurry before pouring — cornstarch sinks to the bottom of the bowl in seconds.

    Done when: The soup is lightly thickened and coats a spoon — not gloopy, just silky.

  3. 3

    Add the Egg Ribbons

    2 Mins Low heat, about 85°C (185°F)

    Turn the heat to low. Drizzle the beaten egg into the soup in a slow, thin stream while stirring gently in one direction. The egg sets into fine ribbons almost at once. Add the soy sauce and sugar and stir.

    Stir in one direction only — back-and-forth stirring breaks the ribbons into crumbs.

    Done when: Fine white ribbons of egg float through the soup, and the broth is lightly golden.

  4. 4

    Season with Vinegar and Pepper

    2 Mins Off the heat — about 85°C (185°F)

    Take the pot off the heat. Stir in the black rice vinegar and white pepper, then taste. It should be clearly sour and clearly peppery at the same time.

    Vinegar and pepper go in last, off the heat — boiling them dulls both.

    Done when: The soup tastes hot, sour and savoury all at once, with the vinegar bright at the front.

  5. 5

    Serve

    4 Mins Serve hot — above 60°C (140°F)

    Ladle the soup into warmed bowls. Drizzle with chilli oil and sesame oil, and scatter with spring onion. Serve at once.

    Warm the bowls with hot water first so the soup stays hot to the last spoonful.

    Done when: The bowl is steaming, the soup is thick and ribboned, and the oils make a red-gold swirl on top.

Finishing Touches & Plating

Taste once more before serving and adjust in tiny amounts — a little more vinegar if it is flat, a little more white pepper if it is not warm enough. The soup should be hot, sour and peppery all at once, never just one of the three.

Nutritional Physiology & Benefits

Nutrition

Energy

259

kcal / serving

Protein

24g

Complete AA

Carbs

16g

Complex

Fats

11g

Healthy

Per serving (4 servings · 1 serving ≈ 440 g)
Energy259 kcal
Protein24 g
Carbohydrates16 g
Fat11 g
Fibre2.2 g
Sugar3.6 g
Sodium1099 mg
Per 100g
Energy59 kcal
Protein5.5 g
Carbohydrates3.6 g
Fat2.4 g
Fibre0.5 g
Sugar0.8 g
Sodium250 mg

Nutrition values are estimated — calculated from USDA FoodData Central values for the listed ingredients.

Vitamins & minerals: Vitamin B12 and iron (pork), vitamin D and B vitamins (egg, mushrooms), vitamin C (spring onion).

Light but Filling

Tofu, mushrooms and bamboo give protein and fibre in a bowl of only about 259 kcal.

High-Protein Soup

Pork, tofu and egg give about 24 g of protein per serving, so the soup works as a light lunch, not just a starter.

Warming Comfort

A steaming, peppery broth with ginger-free heat from white pepper is the classic comfort soup for a cold day.

Food Pairings

What to Eat With

To optimize nutrient absorption and elevate the sensory depth, pair with these authentic accompaniments:

Sides

Spring Rolls

A crisp spring roll adds crunch next to the silky soup, and its mild filling lets the pepper and vinegar shine.

Vegetables

Stir-Fried Greens

Stir-fried greens add freshness and a bitter edge that balances the soup's sour heat.

Drinks

Jasmine Tea

Hot jasmine tea is the classic partner — floral, unsweetened, and gentle on a peppery palate.

Full Menus

As a Chinese Meal Starter

Serve the soup as the starter of a Chinese meal, then follow with rice and a stir-fry.

Complete menu

Serve the soup as a starter before a Chinese meal of stir-fried greens and steamed rice, or as a light lunch on its own with a spring roll on the side.

Digestive Guardrails

What NOT to Combine

To prevent digestive distress, sluggishness, or palate clash, avoid pairing the dish with these elements:

Boiling the Vinegar In

Adding the vinegar too early boils off its sharpness — the sour note should be added at the very end, off the heat, so it stays bright. This is general information, not medical advice.

Dumping the Egg In at Once

Pouring the egg in all at once makes scrambled lumps. A slow drizzle while stirring gives the silky ribbons that define the soup.

General information only, not medical advice — consult a doctor for personal dietary decisions.

Who Should Eat It

Who Should Eat

  • General adultsA warming, light lunch — filling enough on its own, and a good starter before a bigger Chinese meal.
  • ChildrenMake a mild batch for children: halve the white pepper, skip the chilli oil, and keep the vinegar gentle.
  • ElderlyEasy to eat — the soup is soft, warm and light; keep the pepper modest.
  • Pregnant womenGenerally suitable if the pork and egg are fully cooked; keep the chilli oil light.
  • Breastfeeding womenGenerally suitable; eat a mild version if the baby seems sensitive to spicy food.
  • AthletesA light, protein-rich starter — about 24 g of protein a bowl; pair it with rice or noodles for a full meal.
  • Weight gainNot a weight-gain food on its own — serve it with rice and a main dish.
  • Weight lossA good choice — about 259 kcal a bowl, high in protein and low in fat.

Health Conditions — Adjust or Avoid

Conditions

  • DiabetesThe cornstarch and a little sugar are the main carbs — keep the portion modest and ask your clinician about portion size.
  • High blood pressureMost of the sodium comes from the soy sauce and stock; use low-sodium stock as written and skip extra soy sauce. Ask your clinician about a suitable portion.
  • Kidney diseaseLimit the portion (sodium from soy sauce and stock, potassium from mushrooms); ask your clinician about portion size.
  • GoutEat occasionally and in smaller portions — pork and mushrooms are moderately high in purines.
  • Stomach issuesWhite pepper and vinegar can irritate a sensitive stomach — make a mild version with half the pepper and vinegar.
  • Cardiovascular diseaseA reasonable choice — low in fat, but the soy sauce is salty, so keep the portion moderate.
  • Fatty liverA light, low-fat soup — keep the sugar modest and favour the tofu and mushrooms.
  • Food allergiesContains soy (tofu, soy sauce), egg and sesame. The soup is gluten-free if the soy sauce is tamari — check the label.
  • Special therapeutic dietsIf you follow a prescribed low-sodium diet, use low-sodium stock and less soy sauce, and check with your clinician.

If you have a medical condition, consult your doctor before changing your diet.

Storage & Use

Storage & Use

How to store
Cool quickly and store in an airtight container in the fridge.
In the fridge
3 days in an airtight container.
In the freezer
Up to 2 months, without the egg — freeze before adding the egg ribbons, and add fresh egg when reheating.
How to reheat
Bring to a gentle simmer, stirring, until steaming hot, 74°C (165°F). Do not boil hard.
Freezing recommended
Partly — the soup base freezes well; the egg ribbons do not.
Signs it has spoiled
Sour smell beyond the normal vinegar tang, slimy texture, or mould on the surface.

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