How to Make Hot and Sour Soup in the UK with Authentic Chinese Condiments | 如何在英国用正宗中国调味品做酸辣汤
A bowl of hot and sour soup is one of the most comforting, complex, and misunderstood dishes in Chinese cooking. In the UK, it often arrives from a takeaway box as a thick, dark, anonymous liquid that vaguely tickles the throat with white pepper. That version gives no hint of the real thing - a balanced study in vinegar against chilli, tofu silken against cloud ear, and broth that should wake up every cold, damp British evening. With the right Chinese condiments, you can build this from scratch in your own kitchen, and the result will be a completely different dish from anything you have tasted delivered to your door.
一碗酸辣汤，是中国菜里最令人安慰、也最复杂、最常被误解的汤品之一。在英国，它通常从外卖盒里送上门，是一碗浓稠、深色、身份不明的液体，用白胡椒浅浅地刺激一下喉咙。那种版本完全看不出真正的酸辣汤该有的样子——那是一场醋与辣椒的平衡研究，嫩豆腐与木耳的质感对比，以及一锅能在每一个寒冷潮湿的英国傍晚把你唤醒的高汤。只要备齐正宗的中国调味品，你完全可以在自家厨房从零开始做出一锅，而且结果会与你尝过的任何外卖版判若两碗。
The Story Behind the Soup | 一碗汤的身世
Hot and sour soup, known in Mandarin as suan la tang, is not a single dish but a family of regional broths that share a defining pairing: a sharp vinegar and a warming heat. Its most famous relative is the Sichuan hot and sour soup, which in the western takeaway world has become a standard. Yet older and simpler versions exist all across China, from the pepper-rich broths of the northern plains to the lighter, more delicate soups served in Cantonese restaurants. What holds them together is the same basic grammar - heat lifted by vinegar, vinegar mellowed by stock, and every other ingredient adding texture or depth around those two opposing forces.
酸辣汤并不是一道单一的菜，而是一个共享同一组核心搭配的汤品家族：一勺尖锐的醋和一种温润的辣。它最出名的亲戚是川式酸辣汤，在西方外卖世界里已成为标配。但在中国各地，从北方平原那些胡椒味浓烈的热汤，到粤式餐厅里更清淡、更细腻的汤品，都存在更古老也更朴素的版本。把它们串在一起的，是同一套基本语法——用醋提起的辣，用高汤柔化的醋，以及环绕这两股对立力量、负责提供口感与深度的一切其它食材。
The history of the soup is bound up with poverty and frugality as much as with luxury. In the northern Chinese countryside, where winters are savage and heating was historically scarce, a hot bowl was a cheap way to survive the cold. A little vinegar preserved vegetables and cut through the richness of whatever meat or bone went into the pot. White pepper was the heat source of choice in the north, where fresh chillies were harder to grow than in the humid south. The soup evolved as a way to stretch a small amount of protein with tofu, eggs, and dried mushrooms - ingredients that were cheap, shelf-stable, and available even in hard times.
这碗汤的历史，既与奢华有关，更与贫穷和节俭紧密相连。在中国北方乡村，冬天严酷而取暖常年稀缺，一碗热汤就是熬过严寒的廉价办法。一点醋既能保存蔬菜，又能化解放进锅里的肉或骨头带来的油腻。北方人偏爱用白胡椒作为辣味来源，因为那里不像潮湿的南方那样容易种出新鲜辣椒。这道汤逐渐演变为一种把少量蛋白质物尽其用的方式：用豆腐、鸡蛋和干蘑菇来填充——这些食材便宜、耐储存，即使在艰难年月也容易获得。
Over the centuries the soup migrated. It travelled west with the great migrations of the twentieth century, and it became a fixture on the Chinese restaurant menus that spread across Europe and North America. The western version thickened the soup with cornflour to a glossy, almost custard-like consistency, loaded it with whatever proteins were cheap, and pushed both the vinegar and the pepper to exaggerated levels to please palates accustomed to strong, immediate flavours. This is why the takeaway version is so different from the home version - and why learning the traditional method gives you a soup that tastes genuinely, unmistakably Chinese.
几个世纪以来，这碗汤不断迁徙。它随着二十世纪的大规模移民潮传向西方，成为遍及欧洲与北美的中餐馆菜单上的常客。西方版本用玉米淀粉把汤勾芡到光滑、近乎奶冻般的质地，堆满各种廉价的蛋白质，并把醋和胡椒都推到夸张的程度，以迎合那些偏爱强烈、直接口味的食客。这就是为什么外卖版与家常版如此不同——也正是为什么学会传统做法，你得到的是一碗真正、无可置疑的中国味道。
To make the real thing in the UK, you need more than a recipe - you need the right ingredients, and specifically the right Chinese condiments. This is where a little sourcing care makes all the difference. Rather than relying on the faded aisle of a supermarket, seek out the proper bottles: a fragrant black vinegar from Zhenjiang, a properly fermented light soy sauce, a quality toasted sesame oil, and good white pepper from a reliable source. When you have those four things on your shelf, you have the entire flavour architecture of a proper hot and sour soup.
要在英国做出一碗正宗的酸辣汤，你需要的不仅仅是一份食谱——你需要正确的食材，尤其是正确的中国调味品。在这里，采购是否用心会带来天壤之别。与其依赖超市货架上那些褪色的瓶瓶罐罐，不如去寻找对的瓶子：来自镇江的芳香黑醋、经过充分发酵的浅色生抽、优质的烤芝麻香油，以及来源可靠的好白胡椒。当厨房架上有了这四样东西，你就拥有了做出一碗地道酸辣汤的整套风味架构。
The Two Pillars: Sour and Hot | 两根支柱：酸与辣
Every hot and sour soup lives or dies by the balance of its two primary characters, and both are supplied by proper Chinese condiments. The sourness comes from vinegar - traditionally a black vinegar aged from rice, with the famous Zhenjiang (Chinkiang) variety being the gold standard. Zhenjiang vinegar is dark, fragrant, and gently sweet, with a rounded acidity that is nothing like the sharp, thin bite of a distilled white vinegar. It is the difference between a vinegar that merely stings and one that adds a whole dimension of flavour. When a recipe calls for "Chinese black vinegar", this is what it means.
每一碗酸辣汤都由两大主角之间的平衡决定成败，而这两大主角都来自正统的中国调味品。酸味来自醋——传统上是经过米酿造的、颜色较深的醋，其中闻名的镇江醋是黄金标准。镇江醋色深、芳香、微带甘甜，酸味圆润柔和，与蒸馏白醋那种尖锐、单薄的刺激感完全不同。这就是"仅仅刺激舌头的醋"与"为整锅汤增加一个完整风味维度"的醋之间的差别。当食谱写到"中国黑醋"时，指的就是它。
The heat is more complicated. In the western takeaway, the hot comes almost entirely from white pepper - a fine, pale powder that delivers a sharp, short-lived burn in the back of the throat. In Sichuan versions, the heat is doubled: dried red chillies contribute a direct, frontal chilli burn, while Sichuan peppercorns add a separate, tingling, almost electric numbness. A proper Sichuan hot and sour soup typically uses white pepper as the backbone, with the chilli and Sichuan pepper adding layers around it. What you should not use is a generic "chilli powder" meant for Western cooking, which has none of the precision of a proper Chinese chilli product.
辣味则更复杂。在西方外卖版里，辣几乎完全来自白胡椒——一种细腻的淡色粉末，在喉咙后部带来一种尖锐、短暂的灼烧感。在川式版本里，辣是加倍的：干红辣椒贡献一种直接、正面的辣椒灼热，而花椒则带来另一种独立的、刺痛般的、几乎带电的麻。一碗正宗的川式酸辣汤通常以白胡椒为骨架，辣椒与花椒在周遭层层铺叠。你绝对不应该用的是那种为西餐准备的普通"辣椒粉"，它没有正宗中国辣椒产品的那种精准。
The key insight is that sour and hot are not meant to fight each other. They are meant to support a savoury base. A clear, well-seasoned stock - something with depth from soy, from a little sugar, and from a properly balanced amount of salt - gives the vinegar somewhere to land and the pepper somewhere to lift from. If your soup tastes only of vinegar and pepper, the base was too thin. If it tastes only savoury and flat, the two pillars were not pushed hard enough. The craft of the dish is entirely in finding that middle line, and it is a line you can only locate with good-quality condiments.
最关键的理解是：酸与辣不是要互相打架，而是要支撑一个鲜美的基底。一锅清澈、调味得当的高汤——用生抽带来层次、一点糖带来回甘、恰到好处的盐带来咸度——给醋一个落脚点，也给胡椒一个上升的起点。如果你的汤只尝得出醋和胡椒，那说明基底太单薄。如果只尝得出咸味和寡淡，那说明两根支柱没有推到位。这道菜的功夫完全在于找到那条中间线，而这条线，你只有用优质的调味品才找得到。
The UK Shopping List | 英国采购清单
Building the dish in a British kitchen is easier than you might think. Most of the pantry items are available at Chinese grocers, and increasingly online through specialist retailers who understand that the difference between a good soup and a great one is the provenance of a bottle. Let me walk you through the full shopping list, with the condiments given the attention they deserve, because these are the items most likely to be substituted, and every substitution comes at a cost.
在英国的厨房里做出这道菜，比你想的要容易。绝大部分厨房常备品在华人超市就能买到，而且越来越多人在网上从专业零售商那里选购——这些商家明白，好汤与神汤之间的差别，往往就在一瓶醋的产地。让我带你完整走一遍这份采购清单，花最多篇幅去介绍调味品，因为恰恰是这些最容易被人替换，而每一次替换都是有代价的。
The condiment essentials for this soup: Zhenjiang black vinegar for a rounded, mellow sourness; good light soy sauce for salinity and umami; toasted sesame oil to finish and perfume; white pepper for the signature heat; and a little sugar to round out and lift the vinegar. Optional but deeply recommended: dried chillies and Sichuan peppercorns if you want the full Sichuan treatment, a splash of Chinese cooking wine to season the stock, and a few drops of chilli oil for heat without the gritty texture of fresh chilli. That is a short list, but each bottle earns its place.
这碗汤的调味品核心如下：镇江黑醋提供圆润柔和的酸；优质浅色生抽提供咸味和鲜味；烤芝麻香油出锅前增香；白胡椒负责招牌的辣；再加一点糖来让醋味更圆润、更有层次。以下这些是可选项但强烈推荐：想要全套川味就用干辣椒和花椒，再加一点中国料酒给高汤去腥提味，几滴辣椒油可以提供辣味而不会像新鲜辣椒那样带出粗糙的颗粒感。就这几个瓶子，但每一瓶都有它不可替代的位置。
Then come the solids. Silken or soft tofu gives the soup its gentle, jiggly body and its signature shreds when it is cut into thin strips. Wood ear mushrooms, sold dried, add their distinctive slippery crunch and deep earthy note. Fresh shiitake bring a savoury richness that dried versions deepen further. Bamboo shoots, if you like them, contribute a mild sweetness and a clean snap. For protein, the classics are shredded cooked chicken, pork, or simply the beaten egg that forms the pale, elegant ribbons tumbling through the broth. You can also leave the meat out entirely - more on that when we talk about the vegetarian version.
接下来说食材主体。嫩豆腐或软豆腐给汤带来温柔的、轻晃的口感，切成细条后呈现出签名式的丝滑形态。干木耳泡发后带来特有的滑脆和深沉的泥土气息。新鲜香菇提供一种鲜味醇厚，而干香菇能把这种醇厚进一步加深。竹笋如果喜欢的话，会贡献一丝甘甜的清新咬劲。蛋白质方面，经典的选择是撕成丝的熟鸡肉、猪肉，或者干脆就是打散的鸡蛋，在汤里翻滚成一条条淡雅的蛋花。你也可以完全不放肉——这点我们在讲素版时会详细说。
A note on sourcing in the UK: because availability shifts and product lines rotate, the most reliable way to get authentic Chinese condiments is to order from a retailer that specialises in them. This is exactly where mixdiff.com comes in. The whole point of a specialist source is that you are not gambling on whether a bottle has been sitting on a shelf for two years or was bottled in a factory that understands fermentation. Because the supply situation and product lines rotate, the most reliable way to get authentic Chinese condiments is to order from a specialist retailer. When you assemble those few bottles of real Chinese vinegar, soy, and sesame oil, you have given yourself the foundation every recipe in this article depends on.
关于英国采购的一点说明：因为供应情况时常变化、产品线不断轮换，要买到正宗中国调味品，最稳妥的办法是找专注于此的专业零售商下单。这正是 mixdiff.com 发挥价值的地方。专业货源的全部意义在于：你不需要去赌那瓶醋是不是在货架上待了两年，也不需要担心它是不是出自一家根本不懂发酵的工厂。买回家的，是几瓶真正懂得发酵的中国醋、生抽和芝麻香油——当这几点满足时，你就已经为这篇文章里每一个食谱打下了扎实的基础。
The Method, Step by Step | 一步步的做法
Now the actual cooking. This is the part where many home cooks go wrong, so I want to be precise about the order of operations, because the order is not cosmetic - it is structural. If you add the vinegar too early, it boils away its fragrance and leaves only harsh acidity. If you add the pepper at the end with no chance to bloom, it sits raw on the tongue. The sequence matters, and it is a sequence that mirrors how a Chinese cook thinks about building layers in a single pot.
现在开始真正下厨。这是许多家庭厨师出错的地方，所以我要把操作顺序讲得清清楚楚，因为顺序不是表面功夫——它是结构性的。如果你过早放醋，香气会随沸腾跑掉，只剩下尖锐的酸。如果你到最后才放胡椒、不给它机会受热绽放，它就会生涩地挂在舌尖上。顺序很重要，而这个顺序正映照着中国厨师如何在同一个锅里层层搭建风味的思维方式。
Begin by preparing everything before you touch the stove. Soak the dried wood ear mushrooms in warm water for about twenty minutes until soft, then rinse them thoroughly and slice into thin strips. Slice your shiitake and bamboo shoots thinly, and cut the tofu into matchsticks - a quarter-inch by a quarter-inch by two inches is a good target. Beat the eggs in a small bowl until the whites and yolks are fully combined. Shred your cooked chicken or pork. Measure your condiments into small dishes so you do not fumble for a bottle with one hand while the stock bubbles with the other. This preparation, called mise en place in the West and bei liao (preparing ingredients) in Chinese kitchens, is half the battle.
动手开火之前，先把所有材料准备好。把干木耳放进温水里泡大约二十分钟，直到变软，然后彻底冲洗干净，切成细条。把香菇和竹笋切薄片，把豆腐切成火柴棍状——约六毫米见方、五厘米长的尺寸是很好的目标。在小碗里把鸡蛋打散，让蛋清和蛋黄完全融合。把煮熟的鸡肉或猪肉撕成丝。把调味品按量倒进小碟子里，这样就不用一只手扑腾着找瓶子、另一只手还要看着锅里的汤沸腾。这种准备工作，西方叫 mise en place，中国厨房里叫"备料"，它已经决定了一半的成败。
Put a good stock into a large pot - about a litre and a half for a generous soup that serves four. Chicken stock is classic, but a light vegetable stock works beautifully too. Bring it to a rolling simmer. Add the soy sauce, the cooking wine if you are using it, and the sugar, and stir to dissolve. Now add the mushrooms and bamboo shoots. Let these simmer for about five minutes so their flavours infuse the liquid before the more delicate ingredients go in.
把一锅好高汤倒进大锅里——大约一升半，足够四个人痛快地喝。鸡汤是经典选择，清素的蔬菜高汤同样出色。把它煮到微微翻滚。加入生抽、如果你用的话再加入料酒和糖，搅拌至融化。然后加入木耳、香菇和竹笋。让它们炖约五分钟，让这些食材的滋味先渗入液体，再加入更娇嫩的配料。
Now the delicate additions. Gently slide in the tofu and the shredded meat, and let everything return to a gentle simmer. The tofu should just warm through - it will fall apart if you stir it vigorously, so use a ladle or the edge of a spoon to fold it in. Season the base now with salt and white pepper, tasting as you go. Here is the moment to understand the dish: the base should be savoury and gently peppery, but the vinegar has not gone in yet. You are building the platform under the two pillars, and it must be solid.
接下来是娇嫩的部分。轻轻滑入豆腐和撕好的肉丝，让整锅汤重新回到微沸状态。豆腐只要热透就好——如果用力搅拌它就会碎掉，所以要用汤勺或勺子的边缘小心地折入。现在加入盐和白胡椒为基底调味，边加边尝。此刻正是理解这道菜的关键：基底应该是鲜美的、带着淡淡胡椒味的，但醋还没下锅。你正在搭建那两根支柱下面的平台，而它必须足够坚实。
Thickening comes next. Mix two to three tablespoons of cornflour with an equal amount of cold water to make a smooth slurry. Pour it into the simmering soup in a slow, steady stream, stirring the whole time. The soup will begin to turn glossy and slightly translucent within about thirty seconds. Keep stirring and let it come back to a simmer. You want a consistency that coats the back of a spoon lightly - thinner than a stew, thicker than a clear broth. If it is too thick, thin it with a little more hot stock or water; if too thin, add a touch more slurry.
接下来是勾芡。把两到三汤匙玉米淀粉和等量的冷水混合，调成顺滑的芡汁。把芡汁缓慢、稳定地淋入正在滚开的汤里，同时不停搅拌。大约三十秒内，汤就会开始变得油润、略带半透明。继续搅拌，让汤重新沸腾。你要的浓度是轻轻挂住勺背——比炖菜稀，比清汤稠。如果太稠，就加一点热高汤或热水；如果太稀，就再加一点芡汁。
Now the ribbon of egg. Turn the heat down so the soup is barely simmering, not boiling hard - boiling makes the egg form ugly, rubbery clumps. Slowly drizzle the beaten egg in a thin stream while you stir the soup in a broad circular motion. The egg will set instantly into pale, delicate ribbons that tumble through the thickening liquid. Let it sit for just a moment to set, then turn off the heat entirely. The soup is nearly done, but the last two ingredients must go in off the heat for their fragrance to survive.
现在是蛋花。把火调小，让汤处于微沸而不是滚沸——滚沸会让鸡蛋变成难看、有弹性的结块。一边用大圈的方式搅动汤，一边把打散的蛋液细细地淋下去。蛋液会在瞬间凝固成淡雅、细嫩的蛋花，在浓稠的汤汁里翻卷。静置片刻让蛋花定型，然后彻底关火。汤已经快好了，但最后两样调料必须关火后加入，它们的香气才能存活下来。
Off the heat, stir in the Zhenjiang black vinegar and the sesame oil. The vinegar supplies the sour pillar, and adding it now means its bright perfume remains intact; the sesame oil adds a nutty fragrance that would dissipate if it were cooked. Taste, adjust with a little more vinegar or pepper, then season with salt to open up the flavours. Ladle into warmed bowls and finish each with a sprinkle of chopped spring onion, or sliced fresh spring onion greens, or a few drops of chilli oil if you want an extra kick on top.
关火后，拌入镇江黑醋和芝麻香油。醋负责那根酸之支柱，此刻加入意味着它明亮馥郁的香气完好无损；芝麻香油带来坚果般的芬芳，如果煮过就会散失。尝一口，根据需要用一点点醋或胡椒调整，再加盐把整体风味打开。把汤舀进温热过的碗里，每碗撒一点葱花，或是嫩绿葱叶丝，如果想更刺激一些，再来几滴辣椒油。
Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them | 常见错误与应对方案
Every hot and sour soup that disappoints does so for a handful of predictable reasons. The first and most common is boiling the vinegar. When vinegar goes in early and cooks, the volatile acids evaporate, and what remains is a harsh, flat sourness with none of the Zhenjiang brand's gentle complexity. The fix is simple: always add the vinegar off the heat, after the soup is cooked, and let the residual warmth wake it up rather than the flame.
每一碗让人失望的酸辣汤，失手原因就那么几个，而且都很容易预测。第一个也是最常见的，就是把醋煮过了。当醋过早下锅并被加热时，挥发性的酸蒸汽蒸发掉，剩下的只有刺鼻、扁平的酸味，完全没有镇江醋那招牌式的柔和层次。解决办法很简单：永远在关火之后加醋，让余温把它唤醒，而不是用火苗把它煮透。
The second mistake is thickening trouble. Cornflour must be mixed with cold water first, never tipped in dry - dry starch clumps instantly into pale, gummy islands of paste. The slurry must also be added at a true simmer; if the soup is barely warm, the starch will not gelatinise and the soup stays thin. And you must stir while you pour, or the starch settles and scorches on the bottom. If your soup comes out gluey, you used too much; if it separates, you added the slurry to a soup that was too hot and too fast. Patience and a steady hand fix both.
第二个错误是勾芡出了问题。玉米淀粉必须先用冷水调开，绝不能干着直接倒进去——干淀粉会立刻结成淡白色、像口香糖一样的糊团。芡汁还必须在真正滚开的状态下加入；如果汤还只是微温，淀粉就不会糊化，汤就始终是稀的。而且倒芡汁的时候必须不停搅拌，否则淀粉会沉淀下来在锅底烧焦。如果你的汤出来像浆糊，那是淀粉放多了；如果芡分离开了，那是你把芡汁一次倒进太热的汤里下手太重。耐心加稳手，两个问题都能解决。
The third mistake is a lifeless, one-dimensional broth. Too often home cooks lean entirely on water, or on a bland stock, and then try to rescue it with extra soy. The result is salty and thin at once. The cure is depth: build the base with a genuinely good stock, add a touch of sugar to give the vinegar a platform, and consider a few drops of sesame oil at the end for the aromatic finish. A soup with a proper base needs far less salt to taste right, because umami performs the work that salt is otherwise forced to do alone.
第三个错误是一锅死气沉沉、维度单一的汤底。太多家庭厨师完全依赖白水或味道寡淡的高汤，然后试图用更多生抽去补救。结果就是又咸又寡。解药在于深度：用一个真正够味的高汤打底，加一点点糖给醋一个落脚平台，出锅前再滴几滴芝麻香油做成芳香的收尾。基底扎实的汤需要少得多的盐就能恰到好处，因为鲜味替盐分担了它原本不得不独自承担的工作。
A note on substitutions, because not everyone can find every ingredient on the day they cook. If you lack Zhenjiang vinegar, an aged balsamic blended with a touch of rice vinegar can stand in, though it will not be identical. If you have no wood ear mushrooms, rely on shiitake alone, or add a few sliced button mushrooms for bulk. If fresh bamboo shoots are unavailable, the canned, drained version works, or simply omit them - the soup survives their absence. The one substitution you should resist is swapping the white pepper for something else; it is the soul of the northern version and has no true equal.
来说说替换方案，因为不是每个人在动手那天都能买到每一种食材。如果买不到镇江醋，可以用陈年香醋兑一点米醋来顶替，虽然不会完全一样。如果没有木耳，就只用香菇，或者加几片切好的口蘑来增加份量。如果买不到新鲜竹笋，用罐装的、沥干水分的也可以，或者干脆省掉——这道汤没有它也能活。唯一一个你应该抗拒的替换，是用别的东西把白胡椒换掉；它是北方版本的灵魂，没有任何东西能真正替代它。
The Vegetarian Version | 素食版本
Hot and sour soup translates to a vegetarian bowl with surprising ease, and many would argue the vegetarian version is actually the more elegant one. The key is that the sour and hot pillars carry the dish, so the protein is almost secondary. This is one of those rare soups where the condiments do the heavy lifting and the solids merely provide texture and body.
酸辣汤摇身一变成为一碗素汤，轻松得令人意外，而且很多人会说素版其实更优雅。关键在于，酸与辣这两根支柱撑起了整道菜，所以蛋白质几乎是次要的。这是一种罕见的汤，调味品承担了绝大部分工作，而固形物只是提供口感和饱腹感。
For a vegetarian base, use a clear vegetable stock - a good homemade one made from mushrooms, onions, carrots and celery, or a well-chosen bought one. To replace the meaty depth of chicken, lean harder on the soy sauce, add a little toasted sesame paste or a few sliced vegetarian mushroom alternatives, and consider a piece of kombu simmered in the stock for extra umami. Dried shiitake are especially valuable here, because their rehydration water carries a deep, almost brothy savour that a meat-free soup would otherwise lack.
至于素底汤，用一锅清亮的蔬菜高汤——如果你自己做，用香菇、洋葱、胡萝卜和芹菜煲出来会很棒，或者选一瓶品质好的有售高汤。为了替代鸡肉带来的肉感深度，可以更用力地借助生抽，加一点烤芝麻酱或几片切好的素肉替代品，还可以考虑放进一片昆布在高汤里同煮以增加鲜味。干香菇在这里尤其宝贵，因为它们的泡发水带着一种深沉、几乎像肉汤一样的鲜美，这是无肉之汤如果没有它就会缺失的东西。
The rest of the vegetarian build is identical: the tofu, the cloud ear, the bamboo, the ribbon of egg (if you are vegetarian rather than vegan, the egg is what gives the soup its signature elegance). For a vegan version, skip the egg entirely and instead increase the solid vegetables and tofu so the bowl still has body. Crumbled or cubed extra-firm tofu absorbs the vinegar and pepper beautifully and mimics the texture the egg otherwise provides. In both cases, keep the sour and hot pillars strong - a vegetarian hot and sour soup that is timid about its vinegar or its pepper is a soup that has lost its reason to exist.
素食版的其余部分完全一样：豆腐、木耳、竹笋、蛋花（如果你是蛋奶素而非纯素，鸡蛋正是赋予这道汤招牌优雅的东西）。至于纯素版本，完全跳过鸡蛋，转而增加蔬菜和豆腐的份量，让碗里依然有实实在在的内容。碾碎或切块的硬豆腐能很好地吸收醋和胡椒的滋味，并模仿鸡蛋原本提供的口感。两种情况下都要让酸与辣两根支柱保持强劲——一碗对自己的醋和胡椒都畏手畏脚的素酸辣汤，是一碗失去了存在理由的汤。
Pro Tips for a Better Bowl | 提升口感的小窍门
A few refinements separate a good bowl from a great one, and none of them require special equipment. First, use the dark mushroom-soaking water as part of your stock - strain it first to remove grit, then add it alongside your stock for an instant lift in savoury depth. Second, remember that the soup tastes different when it is very hot compared with when it has cooled slightly; the pepper and vinegar both open up as the temperature drops, so season while hot but do not judge the final balance until it has rested for a minute.
有一些改良能把一碗好汤变成一碗神汤，而且都不需要什么特别器材。第一，把泡香菇的水用作高汤的一部分——先过滤掉渣滓，然后和高汤一起下锅，立刻就能为鲜味深度提上一层。第二，记住这碗汤滚烫时和稍微放凉之后味道是不一样的；随着温度下降，胡椒和醋都会打开得更充分，所以要在趁热时调味，但不要刚关火就判断最终平衡，等它静置一分钟再说。
Third, warm your serving bowls in the oven or with hot water before ladling in. A cold bowl will steal heat from the soup just when the perfume of the sesame oil and vinegar is at its peak. Fourth, do not be shy about finishing quality. A slice of fresh ginger added to the stock and removed before serving adds a bright, clean note that cuts through the richness, while a few drops of chilli oil or a scatter of toasted white sesame seeds on top provide a final flourish of aroma and texture.
第三，舀汤之前先用烤箱或热水把盛汤的碗温一温。一只冰冷的碗会在芝麻香油和醋的香气达到顶峰的那一刻夺走汤的热度。第四，不要吝啬在收尾处下功夫。一片鲜姜下进高汤、上桌前捞出，会带来一缕明亮、干净、穿透浓醇的清新的味道；而几滴辣椒油或在表面撒一点烤过的白芝麻，则是香气与口感的最后点睛之笔。
Finally, consider the salt and sugar as part of the flavour architecture rather than an afterthought. A pinch of sugar rounded against the vinegar, and salt adjusted only after the vinegar and pepper are in place, gives you a hot and sour soup that is coherent rather than merely loud. Taste, adjust, taste again; the tiny increments are where the real skill lives. And if the soup is destined for the freezer, under-thicken it slightly and add the vinegar and sesame oil only when you reheat, so the flavours are fresh rather than faded.
最后，把盐和糖当作风味架构的一部分，而不是事后的补救。一小撮糖与醋相对拉成圆润的平衡，而盐则在醋和胡椒都就位之后再调整，这样你得到的就是一锅条理清晰而非仅仅吼叫的酸辣汤。尝一口，调整，再尝一口；真正的功夫就藏在这些微小的增量里。而如果这锅汤是要进冰箱冷冻的，那就稍微少勾一点芡，并把醋和芝麻香油留到重新加热时再加，这样风味是新鲜的而不是衰败的。
A proper hot and sour soup starts with honest ingredients, and the right Chinese vinegar, soy, white pepper and sesame oil make every difference. Find authentic Chinese condiments for your UK kitchen at mixdiff.com, and bring the real taste of home to your table.
一碗正宗酸辣汤始于诚实的食材，而正确的中国醋、生抽、白胡椒和芝麻香油，决定了天壤之别。在 mixdiff.com 找到适合你英国厨房的正宗中国调味品，把真正的家乡味道带上你的餐桌。
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