Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Hot and Sour Soup: Fake-Out Take-Out
Sometimes I just CRAVE me some hot & sour soup! Now, before any rumors start flying: no, I’m not pregnant. This is nothing new – ask my mom, I’ve had this craving since I was a kid (that and buffalo chicken wraps). I’m a strange gal, I know it!
Anyhow, Chinese take-out is one of my all time favorites (I know I say that a lot, but I have a LOT of favorites- don’t judge!). Chicken fried rice and hot & sour soup = one happy gal. Problem is that I have a hard time finding a REALLY good hot and sour soup. My favorite is from PF Changs (or their sister company: Pei Wei). Neither of which are super close to the house, making last minute take out, a non-option.
{Enter: Google}
“PF Changs hot and sour soup recipe.” Oh how I love google. I came across this gem of a recipe, and with a little tweakage, had a hot bowl of my favorite hot & sour soup! This recipe comes so close that even I don’t notice the difference! Hello fake-out take-out!
Now, if only I could get the hubs on board w/ the whole hot & sour soup thing. He is not a fan AT all. Oh well, more soup for me! 😉
Enjoy!
Hot & Sour Soup
Adapted from: Food.com
Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts, sliced super thin (1/4-1/8 inch thick)
1 tsp canola or vegetable oil
2 pints of fresh shiitake mushrooms (roughly 3.5oz each) - cut into thin strips
1 quart low sodium chicken broth/stock
1 cup low sodium soy sauce
1 1/2-2 tsp white pepper (i used 2)
1 small can (roughly 6 oz) bamboo shoots, cut into matchsticks
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup water
2 eggs, beaten
6 oz of firm/extra firm tofu, cubed into 1/2" cubes
3 oz white vinegarDirections:
In a saucepan, heat the canola oil over medium high heat. Saute the chicken until cooked through. Add the mushrooms and saute for another 3 minutes.
Add chicken stock and bring to a boil. Mix in soy sauce, white pepper, and bamboo shoots. Allow to cook for about 2-3 minutes.
Mix together corn starch and water to make a slurry. Add the slurry into the boiling mixture until it thickens to desired consistency (may not need to use entire amount).
Add eggs, stirring until cooked through (only 30 seconds or so). Last, turn off heat and add the tofu along with the vinegar. Stir to combine and ladel into soup bowls.
Garnish with green onions and enjoy!
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Kelly — May 18, 2011 @ 11:08 am
I just found your site through Tasty Kitchen, and I’m very glad that I did! You have some very yummy sounding recipes, and your food photography is gorgeous!
Kristina replied: — May 18th, 2011 @ 11:20 am
Thanks so much. Kelly! I’m so glad you enjoy the site! Happy Cooking! 🙂
PolaM — May 18, 2011 @ 12:15 pm
I have been looking for a hot and sour soup recipe for the longest time and never liked any recipe all that much… I love this recipe. I will make sure to try it!
Kristina replied: — May 27th, 2011 @ 10:41 am
try this one… it’s super simple and SO SO good. If you’ve had the PF Changs one, it is pretty darn close!
Jazz Rules — May 20, 2011 @ 11:21 am
This looks better than PF Changs!
Kristina replied: — May 27th, 2011 @ 10:41 am
aww thanks! 🙂
Gina Melton — May 24, 2011 @ 4:23 pm
It looks like I met my match– the only thinkg I crave more than hot and sour soup is– you guessed it– buffalo chix wraps. Very Funny.
Kristina replied: — May 27th, 2011 @ 10:41 am
hahah I LOVE it! Hello twin! 🙂
Dad — June 20, 2011 @ 4:27 pm
Is it better than Uncle Tai’s? I’ll have to try this recipe. You know how I love hot & sour soup.
Michelle — September 12, 2011 @ 5:12 pm
Isn’t it normally pork in H&S soup?? Just wondering before I make this up. It looks awesome and I agree the best normally is PF Changs and Pei Wei! BTW, I AM pregnant at the moment lol and crave this soup like crazy PG or not. That, and I have the best ever recipe for buffalo chicken wings which are my second fav. The best cravings are flavorful spicyness =)
Kristina replied: — September 12th, 2011 @ 6:05 pm
i think the real thing has both pork and chicken… but i made it with just chicken and it was fabulous!!! Tasted the same to me 🙂
jon — November 1, 2011 @ 3:09 pm
No pork, no cloud ear, no hot & sour soup
Jenna — April 15, 2012 @ 9:02 pm
Has anyone tried freezing this? I would love to use this recipe as a freezer meal!
Emily — June 13, 2012 @ 12:02 pm
You wouldn’t happen to have the nutritional info on this, would you?
julie — August 18, 2012 @ 10:41 am
do you just pour the raw egg right into the soup?
Lindsey — August 25, 2012 @ 5:41 pm
wow. i am also a huge fan of hot & sour soup! especially PF Changs! my hubby – not so much… so i decided to try this as a lunch recipe, and i have to admit i was a bit skeptical that it would be as good… but it is amazing! i think i cut my chicken a bit too big, and i ran out of low sodium and regular soy sauce at about 3/4 cups so i used teriyaki for the other 1/4 and it is delish! well done! thanks for sharing! 🙂
Pamela — February 15, 2013 @ 8:44 pm
WooHoo! I just returned home with take out from PeiWei and watched hubby snork down a bowl of hot and sour soup that I could not share because I have celiac disease and the soup is not gluten free. With this recipe, I can make it myself by simply uning my GF soy sauce. Why is this stuff so addictive? I often think I could pass on the entree all together if I could just have another bowl!
The only remainin question is whether I will share it with hubby or just make him watch ME snork it down. Turn about is fair play, right?
Kari — February 26, 2013 @ 8:21 pm
OMG, TY TY TY I love Pei Wei’s Hot and Sour Soup and this is exactly the same….YUMMO so glad i found your recipe
Brian — July 1, 2013 @ 10:32 pm
What brand soy sauce do you use when cooking this? I JUST made it, and while it’s good, the soy sauce I used takes it off a bit from Pei Wei. I think the Soy Sauce flavor will make all the difference in how close it gets to the Pei Wei version.
Also, I think you’re spot on with the “may not need to use the whole amount” when dealing with the Corn Starch. I used it all, and it got too thick.
Other than that – awesome!!
Tina replied: — July 2nd, 2013 @ 7:23 am
I used Publix generic brand… I know Publix isn’t everywhere so I’d just try out a different one next time :-/
Suzanne — January 17, 2014 @ 4:30 pm
I pinned this recipe many months ago and finally got around to trying it last night. It was awesome! My husband said it was better than PF Changs. I used all of the cornstarch and it wasn’t too thick for me. I couldn’t find shiitake mushrooms so I had to substitute button and I also didn’t have any white pepper so I used a half amount of black. I will definitely make this again!
Toni — May 24, 2014 @ 4:42 pm
I did a google search for P.F. changs hot and sour soup because it’s the best EVER, and found this site. I live a 3 hour drive away from the restaurant (cry). I seriously can’t wait to try this recipe tonight, thank you!
Toni — September 15, 2014 @ 12:10 am
I’ve made this soup probably half a dozen times since i found this and love it! I copied the recipe and can’t thank you enough.
Toni — September 15, 2014 @ 12:18 am
I do want to add how important it is to use reduced sodium products when making this. I used full sodium the first time i made it, since i like salty food, and it was TOO salty! I once substituted similar mushrooms to shiitake and didn’t like it as much, so definately use fresh shiitake if possible. It’s more expensive but worth it. I also make sure to use the extra firm “silken” tofu to get best results like P.F. Chang’s.
Jessica — February 18, 2015 @ 4:37 pm
Just made this and it was excellent! Perfect for a cold snow day like today! Unfortunately Publix was really picked over when I got my ingredients so I had to settle for fresh Portobellos. Can’t wait to try again with the shiitake! Loved that it was all chicken and I too didn’t use all of the slurry…maybe only 2/3 of it.
Kathi — July 15, 2015 @ 7:41 am
This is fantastic. My daughter just had to go on a gluten free diet. Before this her favorite food was PF Chang’s hot and sour soup. The restaurant said they couldn’t make her a gluten free version when I asked but the hostess gave me the information to find your website. They said your version was the closest they had found and I used all gluten free ingredients. My daughter ate 3 bowls. It was fantastic. Thanks for sharing this.
Tina replied: — July 29th, 2015 @ 12:30 pm
I’m so happy to hear this!!! Enjoy!
Natalie — March 20, 2016 @ 7:13 pm
I’ve been making this recipe ever since I found it a few years ago. It’s really the best I’ve found. Oftentimes I’ll have the butcher grind my chicken breast – it changes the texture a bit in the soup, but it’s a lot less mess. And, I do buy the wood ear/cloud ear mushrooms and add those in addition to the shiitake. But, the flavors of the broth, etc. are right on! Thanks so much for this recipe! Love how I can control the quality of the ingredients!
Sarah — January 15, 2018 @ 2:56 pm
I just found this recipe and made it yesterday, along with a recipe for PF Chang’s chicken lettuce wraps. Tastes amazing, and I dare say even better than the restaurant 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
I make the best hot and sour soup - Pelican Parts Forums — June 30, 2020 @ 9:52 am
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