Name: Hot and Sour Soup
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 25 min
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 1 L chicken or vegetable stock; 100 g shiitake mushrooms (sliced); 150 g firm tofu (cut into thin strips); 100 g bamboo shoots (sliced); 3 tbsp rice vinegar; 2 tbsp soy sauce; 1 tsp white pepper (or to taste); 2 tbsp cornstarch (mixed with 3 tbsp water); 1 egg (beaten); 1 tsp sesame oil; 1 tsp chili oil (optional)

The real deal — tangy, spicy, thick, and loaded with mushrooms and tofu. Better than takeout and ready in 20 minutes.

I order this every time I get Chinese food. Then I realized it is one of the easiest soups to make at home, and the homemade version blows the restaurant version away because you can control the spice and sour levels. The magic is in the balance — white pepper for heat (not chili, white pepper), rice vinegar for tang, and a cornstarch slurry to give it that signature silky thickness. The egg ribbons at the end are the final touch and they take about 10 seconds to add. Once you get the ratio ri