Hot and sour soup is a mainstay of Chinese restaurant menus, but you can make a Whole30-friendly one in less time than it takes for the delivery person to drive it over!
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A paleo & Whole30 hot and sour soup!
This fancy iteration of Simple Egg Drop Soup is from the “Not Ready” section of our latest cookbook, Ready or Not! Like all the other recipes in this section of the book, you can throw this together quickly and easily with stuff you already have in your pantry. Plus, you’ll be amazed at how authentic it tastes—without any questionable ingredients!
Ingredients
- Avocado oil or ghee
- Leek, white and light green parts only
- Fresh shiitake mushrooms: I use shiitake mushrooms in place of the traditional black fungus and wood ear mushrooms because they’re easier to find at your local supermarket.
- Pork shoulder, sirloin roast, or tenderloin, cut into thin matchsticks or strips: Not a fan of pork? You can definitely sub in another protein like chicken or beef.
- Coconut aminos: To keep this soup soy free and gluten free, I use coconut aminos in place of dark soy sauce.
- Garlic
- Ginger
- Bone broth or chicken stock
- Arrowroot powder: I use this thickener in place of cornstarch to keep the soup grain-free.
- Eggs
- Rice vinegar
- Toasted sesame oil
- Ground white pepper
- Diamond Crystal brand kosher salt
- Green onions
How to make hot and sour soup
Heat a large saucepan over medium-high heat. When the pot is hot, swirl in the avocado oil or ghee. Toss in the leeks and shiitake mushrooms.
Cook, stirring for 2 minutes or until the leeks and mushrooms have cooked down, Add the pork and stir-fry until no longer pink.
Stir in the coconut aminos, garlic, and ginger and cook for about 30 seconds or until fragrant. Toss in the bamboo shoots.
Measure out and set aside ½ cup of the broth. Pour the rest of the broth into the saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Once the soup is boiling, turn down the heat to medium heat or lower to maintain a simmer.
Whisk the arrowroot powder into the reserved broth to make a slurry. (This will thicken the soup like a cornstarch slurry.)
In a slow and steady stream, pour the arrowroot slurry into the pot while briskly stirring to thicken the soup. (Note: If arrowroot is overheated, it can break down, so turn off the heat as soon as the soup thickens.)
Remove the pot from the heat. Slowly pour in the beaten eggs while stirring. The whisked eggs should form egg ribbons as soon as they hit the hot soup!
Stir in the rice vinegar, sesame oil, and white pepper. Season to taste with salt, and adjust with vinegar or white pepper if desired.
Ladle the soup into serving bowls and garnish with scallions. Serve immediately!
Frequently asked questions
Hot and Sour Soup can be kept in a sealed airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days, but it does taste best when it’s freshly made. I don’t normally freeze this soup because it doesn’t taste as hot and tangy when you reheat it.
You can use black pepper in place of white pepper, but it won’t taste quite right. Why? Black pepper is made when unripe berries from the pepper plant are dried until black—the flavor is spicier and sharper.
White pepper, on the other hand, is made from fully ripened berries that are fermented before the outer layer is removed before drying. The flavor from white pepper is more complex and less in-your-face hot. Plus, white pepper is what my mom insists in using in the recipe, so that’s what I use!
Chinkiang vinegar (a.k.a. zhenjiang vinegar or black rice vinegar) is the vinegar traditionally used in hot and sour soup recipe to impart the signature tang. My mom uses it, but I can’t cook with it because chinkiang vinegar normally has gluten in it.
After experimenting with different vinegars, I discovered that regular old rice vinegar is a great substitute for chinkiang vinegar—plus, it’s readily available at most grocery stores. Just make sure you don’t grab a seasoned rice vinegar by mistake because the seasoned stuff normally contains sugar.
You can definitely substitute thinly sliced chicken thighs or sirloin steak in place of pork, and the soup will still taste fantastic. If you’re vegetarian, you can add cubed firm tofu.
More paleo Chinese soup recipes
Looking for more recipe ideas? Head on over to my Recipe Index. You’ll also find exclusive recipes in my cookbooks, Nom Nom Paleo: Food for Humans (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2013), Ready or Not! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2017), and Nom Nom Paleo: Let’s Go! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2022).
PRINTER-FRIENDLY RECIPE CARD
Hot and Sour Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil or ghee
- 1 large leek julienned, white and light green parts only
- ¼ pound fresh shiitake mushrooms thinly sliced
- 1 pound pork shoulder sirloin roast, or tenderloin, cut into thin matchsticks
- 2 tablespoons coconut aminos
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tablespoon minced ginger
- 1 can (8 ounces) sliced bamboo shoots rinsed and drained
- 6 cups Instant Pot Bone Broth or chicken broth, divided
- 1½ tablespoons arrowroot powder
- 2 large eggs beaten
- ¼ cup rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- ½ teaspoon ground white pepper
- Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 2 scallions sliced on the bias
Instructions
- Heat a large saucepan over medium-high heat. When the pot is hot, swirl in the avocado oil or ghee. Toss in the leeks and shiitake mushrooms.
- Cook, stirring for 2 minutes or until the leeks and mushrooms have cooked down, Add the pork and stir-fry until no longer pink.
- Stir in the coconut aminos, garlic, and ginger and cook for about 30 seconds or until fragrant. Toss in the bamboo shoots.
- Measure out and set aside ½ cup of the broth. Pour the rest of the broth into the saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Once the soup is boiling, turn down the heat to medium or lower to maintain a simmer.
- Whisk the arrowroot powder into the reserved broth to make a slurry.
- In a slow and steady stream, pour the arrowroot slurry into the pot while briskly stirring to thicken the soup. (Note: If arrowroot is overheated, it can break down, so turn off the heat as soon as the soup thickens.)
- Remove the pot from the heat. Slowly pour in the beaten eggs while stirring.
- Stir in the rice vinegar, sesame oil, and white pepper. Season to taste with salt, and adjust with vinegar or white pepper if desired.
- Ladle the soup into serving bowls and garnish with scallions. Serve immediately!
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Anyone subbed wood ears for the shiitakes?
You can definitely sub wood ear mushrooms for the shiitake!
Another family favorite. Never had it in a restaurant. First time trying it and love it. Soups are great to have sitting on the stove for help yourself meals and snacks.
I’m unfortunately allergic to sesame oil 😞. Any suggestions of what the best oil to substitute it with?
You can leave it out! It won’t make a huge difference in the final outcome.
Can’t wait to try this. Love egg drop and hot and sour soups. However, my kids are not a huge fan of bamboo shoots, ok to leave out? Or will it change the flavor of the soup?
Totally okay to leave out the bamboo shoots!
just made this for lunch – so easy and delicious!
Can this be made vegetarian?
Sure! Use vegetable stock and tofu in place of the chicken broth and pork.
I miss egg drop soup and would love to try this but am unable to eat eggs. Is there an alternative?
You can leave out the egg!
Soup sounds lovely. Is this soup keto friendly and if not, what is in it that makes it not low carb or keto friendly? Love your recipes. . . . .
The nutrition facts per serving is at the bottom of the printable recipe card at the bottom.
What beef meat to sub for pork?
You can use chicken in place of pork!
Would apple cider vinegar work instead of rice vinegar
Yes!
Looks delish! Is it possible to sub something else for the ginger?
You can just leave it out!