Hot and sour soup is a popular Asian soup and you can make a vegan and gluten-free version at home. It is served as an appetizer and is also very comforting when you have a cold or sore throat.
It is really very easy to make this vegetarian hot and sour soup in the instant pot and it can be made in just under 30 minutes. It is perfect for the cold weather and can be made ahead of time for meal planning.
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What is hot and sour soup?
Hot and sour soup is a popular Asian soup and is served in restaurants. This is a vegetarian version and does not have eggs. Hot and sour soup is savory, sour, and spicy in taste.
It is also served as an appetizer and can be served as an accompaniment with other Asian dishes like lo mein, Manchurian, and fried rice.
It is a perfect soup to eat when you are under the weather, having a cold, or sore throat.
What's hot and sour soup made of?
This hot and sour soup is vegan and can be made gluten-free. It is made with fresh vegetables, dark soy sauce, vinegar, spices, and some toasted sesame oil. Personally, I am not a fan of tofu, but if you like it, it can be added to the soup while cooking.
I have used carrots, cabbage, mushrooms, and green onions. I have used baby bella mushrooms but other varieties like shiitake or button mushrooms can be used as well.
It is a versatile soup and you can use veggies of your choice. Some options are green beans, celery, baby corn, and bamboo shoots. Some onion greens are used for garnishing.
The dark color of the soup comes from dark soy sauce. If you use the regular sauce it will still taste perfect but the color of the soup will be light. The sourness comes from vinegar and you can control the amount to adapt to your taste.
Some chili sauce and white pepper make the soup spicy and you can adjust the amount as well based on how spicy you want the soup to be.
Cornstarch slurry makes this soup thick. It is made by mixing some cornstarch with water until there are no lumps.
How to make vegetarian hot and sour soup in instant pot?
It is really very convenient and easy to make hot and sour soup in the instant pot once you have all the ingredients ready. I have made the soup in a 6 qt. instant pot. I have not added tofu to the soup but it can be added along with all the ingredients while pressure cooking.
To make the soup in the instant pot add all the veggies, ginger, garlic, vegetable stock, soy sauce, salt, and sugar in the instant pot liner.
Pressure cook on high-pressure mode for 5 minutes. Instant pot will take some time to come to pressure and then count down to 5 minutes. Allow the pressure to release naturally for 5 minutes and then release the remaining pressure manually by moving the pressure release knob to the venting position until the silver pin drops.
Turn the saute mode on and mix in the vinegar, some sesame oil, and white pepper. Once it comes to a boil, add the cornstarch slurry to the soup, a spoon at a time until the soup is of desired consistency. Garnish the soup with some green onion greens while serving.
What to serve with hot and sour soup?
Just like most soups, hot and sour soup can be served with bread and my favorite is breadsticks and pull-apart rolls. It can also be served with other Asian dishes like lo mein and fried rice.
What kind of vinegar for hot and sour soup?
Rice vinegar works best for hot and sour soup but if you don't have it you can also use plain vinegar. Just be sure to taste the soup while you add it so that you can adjust the sourness of the soup as per your liking.
Is hot and sour soup gluten free?
The only ingredient that contains gluten in the soup is the dark soy sauce. To make it gluten-free, soy sauce can be replaced by tamari sauce.
Can you make hot and sour soup ahead of time?
Yes! You can make this soup ahead of time for meal planning or for an event. Hot and sour soup can be stored in the fridge for 4-5 days in an air-tight container.
When you are ready to serve, simply reheat the soup in the microwave, stovetop, or in the instant pot. Due to cornstarch slurry, the soup may become a little thick after refrigerating so if needed, you can add some water or broth while reheating it.
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📖 Recipe
Instant Pot Hot and Sour Soup
Equipment
Ingredients
For pressure cooking
- 3 cup Cabbage (chopped)
- 2 count Carrots (peeled, julienne cut)
- 2 cup Mushrooms (sliced)
- ¼ cup Green onion whites (chopped)
- 1 tablespoon Garlic (chopped)
- 1 tablespoon Ginger (sliced)
- 1 teaspoon Salt (to taste)
- 6 cup Vegetable stock (or water)
- 2 tablespoon Dark soy sauce (tamari sauce for gluten-free)
- 1 tablespoon Red chili sauce (to taste)
To be added after pressure cooking
- 2 tablespoon Vinegar
- ½ teaspoon White pepper
- 1 teaspoon Sesame oil (toasted)
Cornstarch slurry
- 1 ½ tablespoon Cornstarch
- ¼ cup Water
For garnishing (optional)
- ¼ cup Green onion greens (chopped)
Instructions
- Add all the ingredients from "for pressure cooking" list in the instant pot liner.
- Give it a quick mix.
- Close and lock the lid with the pressure release knob in the sealing position.
- Pressure cook on high-pressure mode for 5 minutes. (keep warm mode on)
- Allow pressure to release naturally for 5 minutes and then release the remaining pressure manually.
- Turn the saute mode on.
- Mix in the sesame oil, vinegar, and white pepper.
- Mix the cornstarch and water in a bowl and ensure there are no lumps.
- Add the slurry to the soup in the instant pot a spoon at a time until the soup is of desired consistency.
- Press cancel to come out of the saute mode.
- Garnish with some green onion greens while serving.
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