Hot and Sour Soup

We have the perfect soup for these crisp days that seem to be getting colder by the minute. Our super easy Hot and Sour soup is a deliciously warming dish meant to keep you cozy throughout the entire winter season.

Over the years, I've been gathering soup recipes as much as I can. I love how heartwarming and soothing a tasty soup can be. Also, most of them are easy to make and you get a good bang for your buck.

And now that is almost winter season it is time to get them all out of the book. We want to have them handy and on sight, so we have as many options as possible when it is time to feed ourselves or our families.

This particular recipe is an all-time favourite of many. It is originally from China but you will see a variation on many Asian cuisines. Each country has given its touch and different regions will use the vegetables and ingredients that are easily available in that area.

For our own Hot and Sour Soup recipe, we had to switch around a few things. The original recipe comes from the Sichuan Province in China. And it consists of a thickened broth, made usually out of chicken or pork. They add simple seatings, black and red pepper, and vinegar for the final touch. 

For our own Hot and Sour Soup recipe, we had to switch around a few things. We want it to be vegan so we are using vegetable broth instead. The tricky part here is that the consistency of the soup is very important and you can't really get it with vegetable broth on its own.

To get the consistency where we need it to be we are adding some corn starch. This will thicken the soup without affecting the taste. The consistency is super important for this dish. I think is what makes is so heartwarming but we don't want to mess with the taste, so corn starch does the work perfectly. 

I'm not a fan of hot dishes. But for this one, you need some spicy to make it legit. There are some restaurants that serve this soup incredibly hot. I toned it down as much as I could so I wouldn't feel my mouth burning but still get a bit of a kick. Just a little bit of chili oil will give you that effect but if you are better at handling spices, go for the extra portion!

You get a bunch of delicious veggies and some tofu in your Hot and Sour soup. This makes it super filling and super loaded with nutrients. So, not only is it warming, but this soup is also healing, for both the body and your soul. 

Serve it in a bowl while it is still really warm. Curl up on the couch and enjoy one of the best soups you've ever had in your life!