Hot & Sour Soup with Tofu (Vegan)

This vegan take on hot and sour soup proves you don’t need eggs or pork to nail that craveable balance of tang and heat.

The flavor base starts with dried shiitake mushrooms, steeped in hot vegetable broth until plump. Don’t toss that soaking liquid; it’s loaded with deep, mushroomy umami and goes right back into the pot.

Both the rehydrated mushrooms and firm tofu get cut into thin matchstick slivers, the traditional cut that lets them slip onto your spoon in every bite.

The push and pull comes from apple cider vinegar for the sour and a good hit of black pepper for the heat, with soy sauce rounding things out.

Arrowroot dissolved in cold water thickens the broth to that silky, slightly glossy texture, and a finish of toasted sesame oil and slivered green onions brings it home.

Kitchen Tips

• Always dissolve the arrowroot in cold water first; adding it dry will clump instantly in the hot broth.
• Serve right after thickening, since arrowroot-thickened soups can thin out and weep if they sit too long.
• Adjust the vinegar and pepper to taste at the end, because the hot-sour balance is personal.

Variations

• Use tamari in place of soy sauce for a gluten-free bowl, as the recipe notes.
• Add slivered bamboo shoots, wood ear mushrooms, or napa cabbage for more texture.
• Crank the heat with a spoonful of chili oil or a pinch of white pepper.