Reviewed: May 14, 2012

This was a great recipe! The flavor was well balanced and it became a complete meal by adding tofu. I make a few minor adjustments after reading the past reviews. I cut the red wine vinegar to 2 TB and cut the cornstarch to 1.5 TB. I added some water chestnuts to give it some crunch and it was the perfect hot & sour soup. You can really experiment with vegetables and meat since you have a great base to work with. This will be in my regular rotation.

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Reviewer:

Janie

Reviewed: Mar. 5, 2012

Before I wrote this review I had to look over the recipe several times to ensure I had not done anything incorrectly. Not that I thought I had, I just could not understand how neither my girlfriend or myself cared for this recipe given all the great reviews. We really scrutinized this and decided it was the red wine vinegar that gave it a funny taste. Also, I felt that this dish was lacking some sort of a sweet component. I personally would not even consider making this again, but my advice to anyone who really wants to try it is use white vinegar instead of red, add brown sugar and maybe some teriyaki to add a bit of sweetness. Also, I used to work in a restaurant that made a soup similar to this and their recipe added the corn starch mixture before the egg.

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Reviewer:

learntosink

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Houston, Texas, USA

Living In: Boulder, Colorado, USA

Reviewed: Feb. 26, 2012

Very yummy recipe! My whole family loved it, including my picky 3 and 6 year olds! Thanks for sharing.

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Reviewer:

Sarah Watkins

Reviewed: Feb. 19, 2012

Great recipe! Everyone thought it tasted restaurant-quality and couldn't believe it when I told them how easy it was to pull together. I gave it 4 stars because there were a few things I think it was lacking. For one, it definitely needed a bit more kick. I upped the red pepper flakes from 1/4 tsp to 1/2 tsp and it still wasn't quite right. I think next time I'll add chile paste and hopefully that'll do the trick. Also, I think it needed a 1/2 tsp to 1 tsp of salt. Or maybe next time I will just marinate the chicken in some salt and pepper-- as it is in the recipe, it tasted a bit bland compared to the deliciousness of the soup. Overall though, this was great and I can't wait to make it again with these minor tweaks!

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Reviewer:

farah

Reviewed: Sep. 15, 2011

I did find that I needed to add more soy sauce and a generous amount of Sriracha to bring the flavor to the point where I wanted it. The end product looks nothing like the "main" picture; it looks like the user-submitted pictures (and like the restaurant-style version). Thanks for sharing!

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Reviewer:

JARRIE

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Cooking Level: Expert

Living In: Richmond, Virginia, USA

Reviewed: Jul. 24, 2011

Great recipe! I used beef stock, added more corn starch, used broccoli and water chestnuts because I had them. I also used rice vinegar which I think is much more authentic, and more than the recipe calls for - the sour is what I find is missing from too many restaurants.. Used chili oil instead of sesame. Definitely cut the chicken into very thin slivers, not cubes or slices - cut it while it's partially frozen and it's really easy! And when you cut the chicken this way, add it after corn starch and vinegar and cook for no more than a minute or two, that small it is cooked almost as soon as its added to the mixture. Finally, I added sriracha to help spice it up and add more flavor. Great recipe that I'll make again and again!

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Reviewer:

Rhys

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Living In: Wilmington, Delaware, USA

Reviewed: Jun. 1, 2011

I loved this very much! DH not as much. He thought the flavor was really good, but would like it better if it had pasta in it which wouldn't be the same at all but that's how he likes his soup - oh well :) I followed the recipe exactly, omitting the 'optional' cilantro which I didn't have. It wasn't too hot, the 1/4tsp red pepper flakes was the perfect amount in my opinion.

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Reviewer:

Jodi

Cooking Level: Expert

Living In: Taunton, Massachusetts, USA

Reviewed: Apr. 25, 2011

This was excellent, with one big adjustment and one recommendation. Adjustment: the red wine vinegar came across too strongly. It overwhelmed the balance of the broth. Once we realized what was off-kilter we had a hard time finishing our soup because that is all we could taste. With a little reduction in quantity of that ingredient, this recipe is definitely one to make. Recommendation: cut your chicken in smaller pieces than you think. For a soup, you want the chicken to be small enough to not overwhelm the limited real estate of your spoon. With those notes, I will share this recipe and make it again. Thanks!

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Reviewer:

McRae Family

Reviewed: Mar. 12, 2011

YUMMERS! I stuck to the recipe and thought it excellent...so did the family and dining guest! A crowd pleaser and a wonderful soup to consume if you have a cold!

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Reviewer:

Trinka G

Cooking Level: Expert

Home Town: San Antonio, Texas, USA

Living In: Petersburg, Texas, USA

Reviewed: Feb. 15, 2011

Great soup! Tastes like it's from a Chinese restaurant! Added more vinegar, cornstarch, and red pepper flakes to make it more sour, thick, and spicy, respectively. Will definitely make again!

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