Hot and sour soup
This is one of those traditional dishes that’s super easy to whip up using gluten-free pantry items, but you won’t find many restaurants offering a gluten-free version. For me, hot and sour soup is reminiscent of lunches at dumpling shops with Mama and Papa, a go-to order eaten with gluten-filled versions of Minced Pork Noodles with Cucumbers and addictively crunchy Smacked Cucumber Salad.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons neutral high-heat cooking oil
- 4 ounces (115 g) mushrooms (such as cremini, shiitake, oyster, or shimeji), stems removed and caps sliced
- 2 scallions, white and green parts separated, chopped
- ½- inch knob ginger, minced
- 4 cups unsalted chicken stock or vegetable stock
- 4 ounces (115 g) firm tofu or GF fried tofu, cubed
- 2½ ounces (70 g) sliced drained bamboo shoots (about ¼ of an 8 oz/225 g can), or 1 carrot, julienned
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons gluten-free soy sauce or tamari
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon freshly cracked black or white pepper
- 2 teaspoon chili paste (such as sambal oelek or Calabrian), or 1 teaspoon harissa
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 3 tablespoons cool water
- 1 large egg, beaten
- ½ teaspoon toasted sesame oil
Instructions
- Plant-based option
- Replace the egg with 3 tablespoons plant-based egg mixture (or omit)
- In a medium stock pot or Dutch oven, heat the cooking oil on medium-high heat until it shimmers. Add the mushrooms and sauté, tossing frequently, until browned, about 3 minutes. Add the white scallions and ginger and sauté for 1 minute.
- Stir in the stock, tofu, bamboo shoots, rice vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar, pepper, and chili paste. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- In a small bowl, mix the cornstarch with the cool water to form into a slurry. Pour into the pot and stir until thickened. (Make a little more slurry if you prefer a thicker soup.) Drizzle in the egg until ribbons form.
- Ladle into soup bowls, drizzle with sesame oil, and garnish with green scallions.
Notes
Excerpted from My Best Friend is Gluten-Free: 100+ Asian-Inspired Recipes for Bringing People Together, by Jannell Lo. Copyright © 2025 Jannell Lo. Photographs by Jessica Kalman. Published by Appetite by Random House®, a division of Penguin Random House Canada Limited. Reproduced by arrangement with the Publisher. All rights reserved.
