Name: Spicy hot and sour mushroom soup
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 25 min
Ingredients: 1 tbsp Vegetable oil; 15 g Dried tree fungus or wood ear fungus, already shredded if you can get it (optional); 2 Red chillies, finely chopped; 1 Thumb size piece of ginger, julienned; 100 g Daikon/Mooli peeled and julienned; 300 g Shimeji/Beech mushrooms, thick stems cut off and the mushrooms separated, cut in half if large; 1 tbsp Vegetable bouillon powder, mixed into 800 ml of hot water to make vegetable stock; 1 ½ tbsp Light Soy Sauce; 1 tsp Dark Soy Sauce; 1 ½ tbsp Rice wine vinegar; 1 tbsp Toasted sesame oil; 2 Spring onion trimmed and sliced; Pinch of white pepper; Chilli oil or chilli crisp to serve; Chopped coriander to serve (optional); Diced tofu (optional)

DifficultyBeginner

There are as many version of hot and sour soup across Asia as there are nourishing chicken soup across Europe, once you master the base of this soup you can make it your own using whatever vegetables, meats or fish as you like, here I've used white and brown Shimeji mushrooms, also known as beech mushrooms but you can use any mushroom of your choice and make it as spicy or tame as you prefer.

Prep Time10 minsCook Time15 minsTotal Time25 mins

Serves 3-4 bowls

1 tbsp Vegetable oil

15 g Dried tree fungus or wood ear fungus, already shredded if you can get it (optional)

2 Red chillies, finely chopped

1 Thumb size piece of ginger, julienned

100 g Daikon/Mooli peeled and julienned

300 g Shimeji/Beech mushrooms, thick stems cut off and the mushrooms separated, cut in half if large

1 tbsp Vegetable bouillon powder, mixed into 800 ml of hot water to make vegetable stock

1 ½ tbsp Light Soy Sauce

1 tsp Dark Soy Sauce

1 ½ tbsp Rice wine vinegar

1 tbsp Toasted sesame oil

2 Spring onion trimmed and sliced

Pinch of white pepper

Chilli oil or chilli crisp to serve

Chopped coriander to serve (optional)

Diced tofu (optional)

Soak the dried tree fungus in 150 ml of hot water and leave for 20 minutes to soften whilst you chop and prep the rest of the ingredients

Heat the oil in a wok or saucepan to a medium heat and add the chillies and ginger and stir for 2 minutes, then add the daikon/mooli and stir for a couple minutes more

Drain the fungus and keep the water to use for making up the stock. Once the stock has been made add it to the wok/pan, bring to a simmer then add the drained fungus and simmer for 5 minutes

Add the soy sauces, vinegar and sesame oil to the soup and stir through, add white pepper to season and taste, add a pinch of salt if you feel it needs it

Add the mushrooms and stir through, they will only need a couple of minutes and your soup is ready, if you prefer a thicker soup then thicken with a slurry of cornflour and water until it's to your liking, add the tofu to warm through if you are including it.

Serve into bowls adding spring onions, white pepper, coriander leaves and extra spice with chilli oil or chilli crisp

CategoryOriental, Soups, Vegan, Vegetarian

Ingredients