Hot & Sour Soup (Vegan, Indian Chinese Style)
This vegan hot and sour soup is a classic Indo-Chinese soup, with a perfect balance of heat and tang from all those oriental flavors! Skip takeout, and make this comforting soup at home instead. It is so easy and is ready under 30 minutes!
Servings 4 people
Ingredients
Measuring cup used, 1 Cup = 250 ml, 1 tsp = 5 ml
- 2 large garlic cloves, finely grated
- 1 inch ginger, finely minced
- 1 to 2 nos. green chillies, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup shredded carrots
- 1/2 cup finely chopped green beans
- 1/4 cup finely chopped scallions (spring onions), white portion
- 1/2 cup finely chopped cabbage
- 1/4 cup finely chopped red cabbage
- 2 tbsp dark soy sauce, adjust as per taste
- 1 tsp green/red chilli sauce, adjust as per desired heat
- 1 to 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar/white vinegar, adjust as per taste
- 1 tbsp oil
- 2.5 to 3 cups vegetable stock/water
- 1 tbsp cornflour/cornstarch, mixed with 1/4 cup cold water, add more or less of cornflour depending on the desired thickness
- 1/4 tsp black/white pepper powder
- Handful of scallion greens/ spring onions, for garnishing
- 1/2 tp sugar, optional
- Salt, as required, as the sauces already have salt
Instructions
- Heat oil in a wok/heavy bottomed pan, add ginger, garlic, and finely chopped green chillies, saute on medium-high heat until aromatic.
- In go all the veggies next except for the scallions, stir-fry for 1-2 minutes.
- Next, add chopped scallions, saute for 30 seconds
- Mix well and add vegetable stock or water and the soy sauce, green chili sauce, sugar & pepper powder. Bring to a boil, cook for another 2-3 minutes. Do not overcook the veggies, they should still retain a bite. Stir the cornflour slurry again, as it has a tendency to settle down, and add to the soup, keep stirring until the soup thickens.
- Add the vinegar, mix well, check for seasonings, add salt if required. Serve the soup immediately, garnish with finely chopped scallion greens along with chilli vinegar, soy sauce and chilli sauce on the side.
Notes
- Feel free to use any veggies of your choice, I used whatever I had at hand, you can add more or less of any vegetable.
- For hot and sour chicken soup: Add in some cooked shredded chicken along with the veggies.
- For szechuan hot and sour soup- Add in a tablespoon or so of szechuan sauce along with other sauces.
- Adjust the amount of chilli sauce and vinegar as per desired heat and tang.
- Ching's dark soy sauce is the best kind of soy sauce to use in this Indian style Chinese soup. It gives the soup the perfect color and flavor. It is easily available in most Indian stores.