Hot and Sour Soup, Where White Pepper Does the Work

Ask what makes hot and sour soup hot and most people guess chili. It's white pepper. The heat in a proper bowl comes almost entirely from ground white peppercorns, which is why this soup is one of the best showcases we know for the difference a good white pepper makes.

Our Kampot white is the inner seed of fully ripened berries, washed of its skin and dried in the sun. It keeps a sharp, clean heat with an earthiness that sits in the broth instead of floating on top of it. If you have ever found white pepper musty, it was probably old or poorly processed. Fresh changes your mind.

What you need

Serves 4. About 40 minutes.

  • 6 cups chicken stock (or vegetable stock)
  • 4 dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked in hot water 20 minutes, then sliced (fresh shiitakes work too)
  • 1/2 cup bamboo shoots, cut into matchsticks
  • 8 oz firm tofu, cut into thin strips
  • 3 tablespoons rice vinegar, plus more to taste
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1.5 teaspoons freshly ground Kampot white pepper, plus more to taste
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 3 tablespoons cornstarch mixed with 3 tablespoons cold water
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
  • 2 scallions, thinly sliced

Method

  1. Build the broth. Bring the stock to a simmer in a large pot. Add the mushrooms (plus their strained soaking liquid for extra depth) and the bamboo shoots. Simmer 5 minutes.
  2. Season. Add the tofu, vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, and the white pepper. Simmer 2 to 3 minutes. Taste now. The broth should already make you sit up a little.
  3. Thicken. Stir the cornstarch slurry to recombine, then pour it in while stirring. Simmer until the soup turns glossy and thickens enough to coat a spoon, about 2 minutes.
  4. Egg ribbons. Turn the heat to low. Pour the beaten egg in a thin stream while slowly stirring in one direction. It will set into silky ribbons within seconds.
  5. Finish. Off the heat, stir in the sesame oil. Taste one more time and adjust: more vinegar if you want it brighter, more white pepper if you want more heat. The right bowl makes your nose tingle without any chili at all.
  6. Serve topped with scallions, alongside rice or dumplings.

Notes from our kitchen

  • Grind fresh, add late. White pepper's aromatics fade fast once ground. Grind it just before it goes in, and if you reheat leftovers, refresh the bowl with another small grind.
  • The pepper is adjustable. 1.5 teaspoons gives a solid, warming heat. Start with 1 teaspoon if you are cautious, but this soup is supposed to bite.
  • Make it a meal. Add shredded cooked chicken or thin-sliced pork with the tofu.
  • Vegetarian version: vegetable stock and an extra mushroom or two. The white pepper does not care either way.

Storage

Keeps 3 days refrigerated. The soup thickens as it sits; loosen it with a splash of stock or water when reheating.