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easy hot and sour soup recipe
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3.86 from 47 votes

Easy Hot and Sour Soup Instant Pot Recipe

This Restaurant-style Hot & Sour Soup is super delicious and so easy to make. It comes together quickly. The soup is hot/spicy and sour in taste as the name suggests. Vegetables add more texture and flavor to the soup. Instructional Video is attached for better understanding.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Course: Appetizer, Main / Dinner
Cuisine: American Asian, Asian
Keyword: Chinese Soup, Hot and Sour Soup, instant pot soups, instant pot vegetarian recipes
Servings: 8 people
Calories: 71kcal
Author: simplyvegetarian777

Equipment

  • Measuring Spoons, Measuring Cups, Stirring Spoon,
  • Chopping board and knife
  • Kitchen Colander
  • Instant Pot 6 quart or Mealthy Multipot
  • mixing bowl
  • Kitchen Spatula

Ingredients

FRESH PRODUCE

  • 7 Green Scallions sliced diagonally into longer cuts
  • 1 Carrot, large peeld & cut into thin matchstick size
  • 2 cups Cabbage  thinly sliced
  • 10 Button Mushrooms thinly sliced. You may use shitake or baby bella mushrooms.
  • 1 tbsp Ginger grated

PACKAGED INGREDIENTS

  • 32 oz/ 4 cups Vegetable Broth see notes
  • 5 oz can Bamboo Shoots drained & thinly sliced into matchsticks size
  • 1 cup/ 1/2 block Tofu Extra Firm drained & cut into small cubes
  • 1-3 Eggs

OIL & CONDIMENTS

  • 1/4 cup Rice Vinegar and more to add later if needed
  • 3 tbsp Light Soy Sauce
  • 1 tbsp Dark Soy Sauce
  • 1 tsp Black Pepper powder OR You may use White Pepper powder which has more heat. Use this with caution with little at a time.
  • 1 tsp Chili Paste or Sriracha + more for later if needed.
  • 1 tsp Sesame Oil You can use toasted sesame seeds oil too.
  • 1 tsp Salt or to taste
  • 2 cups Water

CORN STARCH SLURRY INGREDIENTS

  • 2 tbsp Corn Flour (use 3-4 tbsp for more jelly kind consistency)
  • 2 tbsp Water

Instructions

Read the whole post for many tips and other suggestions made through out the post regarding recipe and how to personalize it easily.

    Also, do not forget to refer to the INSTRUCTIONAL VIDEO attached for better understanding.

      MAKING HOT & SOUR SOUP BROTH

      MAKING CORN STARCH SLURRY

      • Meanwhile, take 2 tbsp corn starch in a mixing bowl and add 2 tbsp cold water to it. Stir these 2 together well with a stirring whisk till combined. Corn Starch Slurry is ready. Set aside till ready to use.
      • Meanwhile, take 2 tbsp corn starch in a mixing bowl and add 2 tbsp cold water to it. Stir these 2 together well with a stirring whisk till combined. Corn Starch Slurry is ready. Set aside till ready to use.

      GET THE EGGS READY

      • If you plan to add eggs to this recipe, then break the eggs in a small bowl and give them a light whisk to make them runny.

      COOKING VEGETABLES IN BROTH

      • Now add chopped carrot matchsticks, diagonally cut Green Onions/Scallions, thinly sliced cabbage, sliced mushrooms, matchstick size bamboo shoots & cubed firm Tofu to the broth. Stir it all well.
      • Cover with a lid. Cook on HIGH SAUTE MODE for 3 minutes.
      • Once the timer goes off, remove the lid and stir.

      PUTTING HOT & SOUR SOUP TOGETHER

      • Now add the Corn Starch Slurry to the Soup and stir well.
      • Also Add the beaten eggs in the pot from far top in a string/thread form. Keep stirring the soup with either a spoon or single chopstick in a circular motion. This will help in making the popular egg ribbon or thread in the soup.
      • Set the Instant Pot on High Saute Mode and cook for 3 minutes.
      • Instant Pot Hot & Sour Soup is ready to be served. Ladle out in soup bowls and enjoy. You may garnish it with more sesame oil, and scallions.

      Combine these Dishes to make it a complete meal

      Video

      Notes

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      Above is a basic Hot & Sour Recipe. Here are the following suggestions to adapt it for personal taste -
      1. You may add more Rice Vinegar to the soup to make it more sour. I added 2 tbsp more towards the end since I like mine quite sour.
      2. I also added more chili paste to my soup, about 1/2 tbsp since I like mine more spicy.
      3. You can serve the soy sauce, rice wine vinegar and hot chili paste on the side for the folks to personalize it.
      4. You can skip the cabbage and carrots in the recipe. Or add more vegetables of your choice. It is your recipe after all.
      5. You can make it vegan by skipping eggs.
      6. Make it Gluten-free by swapping soy sauce with Tamari Sauce.
      7. It is best when consumed fresh but tastes good even after 2 days when refrigerated.

      Hot Sour Soup Ingredients

      You will need the following ingredients to make this soup -

      Fresh Produce

      Although I have used these ingredients but you can adapt and use whatever you like. Include one or all. Although Ginger and Scallions are must.
      Green Onions/Scallions,  Carrots,  Cabbage,  Button Mushrooms,  &  Ginger

      Packaged/Canned Ingredients

      We use amazon affiliate links to suggest the ingredients. You may check our privacy policy for more information.
      Vegetable Broth - I used low sodium broth. You may use regular or No sodium broth. You have to monitor the addition of salt accordingly.
      Bamboo Shoots - These come in small cans. If you can find bamboo strips, that is good. Or you can slice these into thin matchsticks, after draining from the can.
      Tofu, Extra Firm
      Corn Starch - It is also known as corn flour in many countries. It is fine white powder kind in appearance. And it is gluten-free.

      Spices & Condiments

      Rice Vinegar (the souring agent) - You may use regular distilled vinegar too. I started with 1/4 cup of red wine vinegar. Since I like my flavors bold and bursting, I ended up adding more. So start with less and place extra on the side if people need it more. 
      White Pepper (the heat agent) - Since I didn't have white pepper,  I used 1 tsp of Black pepper. Apparently, white pepper is stronger than black pepper. Therefore use that with caution. Start with a fat pinch and then build it on as needed.
      Sesame Oil - This is optional. But it adds a nice flavor to the recipe. You can use toasted sesame seeds oil for deeper flavor.
      Red Chili Sauce/Paste - I used sriracha. You can use Sambel Olek as well. I have seen people using chili flakes or red chili paste too. Use whatever is handy, or skip it to avoid being too spicy.
      Light Soy Sauce and Dark Soy SauceI used both kinds of soy sauce. You can chose to use only one kind whichever is handy. Dark Soy sauce adds not only deeper color but deeper umami. To make your recipe gluten-free, use Tamari instead.
      Salt

      Other Ingredients

      Water
      Eggs - These are optional. Adding eggs to this recipe is an American adaptation. Normally people use 3 eggs for this quantity. Since my family isn't too fond of eggs in the soup, I added only 1 to add little protein.

      Kitchen Gadgets Used in the Recipe

      Instant Pot, Inner Pot, Measuring Cups & Spoons, Kitchen Ladle, Small Whisk, Chopping Board & Knife, Mixing Bowl.

      Nutrition

      Serving: 8people | Calories: 71kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 20mg | Sodium: 713mg | Potassium: 295mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 181IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 36mg | Iron: 1mg