Hot and Sour Noodle Soup with Tofu and Wood Ear Mushrooms
A silky, peppery broth with a bright tang of Chinese black vinegar, loaded with tender pork, soft tofu strips, crunchy wood ear mushrooms and chewy rice noodles. It comes together in about an hour and tastes like a restaurant favorite.
- Prep
- 18 min
- Cook
- 25 min
- Wait
- 30 min
- Total
- 1 hr 13 min
- Makes
- About 8 cups of soup (4 generous bowls)
Steps
Before you start
- Start soaking the wood ear mushrooms first. They need 30 minutes in hot water, and you can prep everything else while they soak.
- Chinese black vinegar (Chinkiang) is the signature flavor. Find it in Asian markets or online. Balsamic vinegar is a poor match because it is much sweeter.
- Have every ingredient chopped and measured before you turn on the heat. The soup moves quickly once the broth is simmering.
- Use dried flat rice noodles about ¼ inch (6 mm) wide, sometimes labeled pad Thai or banh pho noodles. Check the package time, since brands vary.
Soak wood ear mushrooms
- Put the dried wood ear mushrooms in a medium heatproof bowl and cover with about 2 cups (475 ml) of very hot tap water.
- Press them under the water with a plate if they float.
- Let them soak while you prep everything else.
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Ready when: Mushrooms are soft, pliable and fully expanded, with no hard dry centers
Tip: Use a large bowl. Wood ear expands a lot, and 15 g of dried mushrooms becomes a big handful.
Marinate the pork
- In a small bowl, toss the pork strips with 1 teaspoon soy sauce and 1 teaspoon cornstarch until each strip has a thin, even coating.
- Set aside at room temperature while the mushrooms soak.
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Ready when: Pork is evenly coated with no dry cornstarch clumps
Prep the soup ingredients
- Mince the ginger and garlic.
- Slice the shiitake caps, cut the bamboo shoots into matchsticks, and cut the tofu into ½-inch (1.25 cm) strips.
- Slice the scallions.
- Drain the soaked wood ear, trim off any hard knobs and cut it into ¼-inch (6 mm) strips.
- In a small bowl, whisk the 2 tablespoons cornstarch with the 3 tablespoons cold water.
- Beat the eggs in another small bowl.
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Ready when: All ingredients are cut, measured and lined up next to the stove
Tip: Pat the tofu dry with paper towels so it holds its shape and doesn't dilute the broth.
Sear pork and aromatics
- Heat the oil in the soup pot over medium-high heat until it shimmers, about 1 minute.
- Add the pork in a single layer and cook, stirring, for 1 to 2 minutes until the outside is no longer pink.
- Add the ginger and garlic and stir for 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Add the sliced shiitake and cook for 2 minutes until they soften and release some moisture.
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Ready when: Pork has turned opaque and pale, the garlic smells fragrant but is not browned, and the shiitake have softened
Tip: Don't let the garlic brown. Burnt garlic turns the broth bitter.
Simmer the broth
- Pour in the chicken stock and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
- Add the wood ear, bamboo shoots, 3 tablespoons soy sauce and the sugar.
- Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to medium-low and simmer gently, partly covered, for 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil for the noodles.
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Ready when: Broth is steaming with small bubbles at the edges, and the pork is cooked through with no pink inside
Cook the rice noodles
- Cook the rice noodles in the large pot of boiling water, following the package time, usually 5 to 6 minutes, stirring once or twice to separate them.
- Drain in a colander and rinse briefly under cool running water to stop the cooking and wash off surface starch.
- Drain well and divide among 4 large soup bowls.
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Ready when: Noodles are tender but still slightly chewy in the center, with no hard white core
Tip: Cook the noodles separately. Cooking them in the soup makes the broth cloudy and gummy, and the noodles go soft as they sit.
Add tofu, vinegar and pepper
- Gently slide the tofu strips into the simmering broth.
- Stir in the black vinegar and the white pepper.
- Simmer over medium-low heat for 3 minutes so the tofu absorbs the flavors.
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Ready when: Tofu is heated through and the broth smells sharply tangy and peppery
Tip: Stir gently with a spoon or ladle so the tofu strips don't break apart.
Thicken the soup
- Re-whisk the cornstarch slurry, since the starch settles quickly.
- Raise the heat to medium and slowly pour it into the soup while stirring.
- Simmer for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring gently.
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Ready when: The broth turns glossy and lightly thickened, coating the back of a spoon like thin cream
Tip: Add the slurry gradually. If it goes in all at once, it can form clumps.
Stir in egg ribbons
- Reduce the heat to low so the soup is barely simmering.
- Hold the beaten eggs about 6 inches (15 cm) above the pot and pour in a thin, slow stream while stirring the soup in one slow direction with a spoon.
- Stop stirring and let the eggs sit for 30 seconds to set, then gently stir once to break them into ribbons.
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Ready when: Eggs form thin, pale, silky ribbons that are fully set with no runny egg
Tip: A fast boil will break the egg into tiny bits and cloud the broth. Keep it barely moving.
Season and finish
- Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the toasted sesame oil.
- Taste the soup.
- Add another 1 to 2 teaspoons of black vinegar for more sourness, ¼ teaspoon of white pepper for more heat, or a pinch of salt if it needs it.
- Aim for a balance where the sour and hot notes are both clear but neither covers the other.
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Ready when: The soup tastes pleasantly tangy and peppery with a savory, rounded finish
Tip: Add the sesame oil and any extra vinegar off the heat. Heat dulls their aroma.
Assemble and serve
- Ladle the hot soup over the noodles in each bowl, making sure each bowl gets an even share of tofu, pork, mushrooms and egg.
- Top with sliced scallions and cilantro, if using.
- Serve right away, with chili oil and extra black vinegar at the table.
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Ready when: Noodles are fully covered by steaming broth and garnishes sit on top
Tip: Serve immediately. The noodles keep absorbing broth the longer they sit.
Good to know
Tips
- Don't skip the white pepper. It gives the soup its distinctive clean, lingering heat, which is different from black pepper or chili.
- Add the vinegar in two stages. Some goes in during cooking for depth, and a little more at the end for a fresh, sharp finish.
- Rinse cooked rice noodles with cool water so they don't clump, and keep them separate from the broth until serving.
- Taste and adjust at the end. Brands of black vinegar and soy sauce differ in strength and saltiness.
Make ahead
"Make the soup through step 8 (before adding the egg) up to 2 days ahead and refrigerate it in an airtight container. Cook and rinse the noodles fresh, or store them separately tossed with a little oil. Reheat the soup to a gentle simmer, then add the egg ribbons, sesame oil and extra vinegar just before serving."
Storage & reheating
Store the soup and noodles in separate airtight containers. Soup keeps in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Noodles keep up to 2 days. Reheat the soup in a pot over medium-low heat until steaming hot (165°F / 74°C), adding a splash of stock or water if it has thickened. Rinse the noodles with hot water to loosen them. The soup can be frozen without the noodles for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator. The tofu texture will be slightly spongier after freezing. Don't leave the soup at room temperature for more than 2 hours.
Substitutions
- Chinese black vinegar (Chinkiang) → Rice vinegar plus a little soy sauce. Use 3 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar plus 1 teaspoon extra soy sauce. The flavor will be brighter and less malty than with black vinegar.
- boneless pork loin → Extra tofu or shiitake for a vegetarian soup. Use vegetable stock and add 4 oz (115 g) more tofu or mushrooms. Skip the pork marinade.
- dried wood ear mushrooms → Dried black fungus or fresh oyster mushrooms. Wood ear is mostly about texture. Oyster mushrooms will be softer but still work.
- dried flat rice noodles, ¼ inch (6 mm) wide → Thin wheat noodles or vermicelli rice noodles. Cook according to the package. Vermicelli takes only 2 to 3 minutes, so adjust the timing.