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It’s hard to say no to take-out, especially when the promise of deliciously spicy favorites are just minutes away from your doorstep and you don’t have to lift a finger (other than to pick up the phone). While there are some dishes that we leave to the restaurant pros, we’ve realized that we can make our own versions of said dishes and they’re actually really, really good!

Here, we tackled a classic hot and sour soup…while there are a lot of ingredients, this recipe is super easy and totally worth the time and effort it takes to make it yourself. 1) You feel accomplished that you whipped that up yourself, 2) it tastes amazing! Take our word for it and give this bad boy a shot; as temperatures drop, you’ll be glad you did!

Hot And Sour Soup

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

  • 6 cups chicken broth
  • 1 (8 oz.) can bamboo shoots, drained and finely chopped
  • 1 cup cooked chicken, shredded
  • 1 cup shitake mushrooms, thinly sliced
  • 1 cup firm tofu, pressed until drained and chopped into strips
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1/2-inch piece ginger, grated
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 1 tablespoon chili sauce
  • 3 teaspoons brown sugar
  • black or white pepper, to taste
  • green onions, finely chopped, garnish

Directions

  1. Heat chicken broth over medium-high heat in a large stock pot until warmed through.
  2. Add chicken, mushrooms, tofu and bamboo shoots, then stir in ginger, soy soy sauce, red wine vinegar, chili paste, brown sugar and white pepper.
  3. Let mixture simmer for 5 minutes.
  4. In a small glass, whisk cornstarch into 2 tablespoons cold water to create a slurry. Once mixture is smooth, gradually stir it into soup.
  5. Cook for another 5-8 minutes, or until soup is thickened.
  6. Take your beaten eggs and slowly pour them into soup. Stir gently and cook for 30 seconds.
  7. Ladle soup into serving bowls and garnish with green onion and more pepper, optional.
  8. Serve hot and enjoy!

Recipe adapted fromCloset Cooking