Ingredients

1. Oil – 2 tbsp
2. Chicken (boiled and shredded) – 1/3 cup or more
3. Dark Soya sauce – 2 1/2 tbsp
4. Rice vinegar – 2 tbsp
5. Ajinomoto or MSG – 1/2 tsp
6. Sugar – a pinch
7. Black or white pepper powder – 1/2 tsp or more
8. Sesame oil – 1 tsp
9. Chicken Stock – 2 cup
10. Egg - 1

Vegetables

11. Garlic – 2 1/2 tsp
12. Ginger – 1 1/2 tsp
13. Green chilli (chopped) – 1 or 1 tsp
14. Cabbage – 2 tbsp
15. Beans – 2 tbsp
16. Green capsicum -1 tbsp
17. Mushroom - 3 tbsp
18. Carrot – 2 tbsp
19. Bamboo shoot (tin) – 2 tbsp or more
20. Spring onion (chopped) – 1
21. Corn starch – corn flour 2 tsp + water 1/2 cup

Garnishing

22. Spring onion (green leaves) – 1

Chicken stock

23. Chicken (with bones) - 200 gms
24. Water – 5 cups or 1 litre
25. Onion (medium) – 1
26. Spring onion – 1
27. Carrot (medium) – 1
28. Garlic (crushed) – 3
29. Ginger – 1 (3 inch or small thumb size)
30. Black pepper corns – 1 tsp

Method

For chicken stock

1. You can take few pieces of chicken like wings, neck part.
2. Cut the onion roughly with its skin, for ginger I just sliced with its skin, garlic also I crushed with it skin.
3. Add water and all the ingredients with chicken pieces; boil for 10 minutes on medium flame and then 50 minutes on simmer, by closing the lid. Switch off.
4. Strain all the stock and keep it aside.
5. You can prepare one day before and allow to cool, cover and refrigerate. After refrigeration, fat might form on the top of the stock as shown in the picture. When you heat the stock again, the fat will dissolve and you will not be able to see the fat again. I have not added salt in this stock. But if adding chicken stock cube or store bought stock, check for the salt content and then add salt as needed in the chicken hot and sour soup.
6. The chicken pieces which were used for the stock, you can shred the meat and use as required for the chicken soup and any remains can be used for quick chicken fried rice or discard it.

For chicken hot and sour soup

7. Chop the vegetables finely or thinly sliced, I have sliced bamboo shoots, tin one. Chop spring onion white separately and green part separately, keep it ready.
8. Preheat the vessel with oil; add garlic and ginger, spring onion (white part), green chilli for few seconds till it sizzles and gets light transparent colour.
9. Add carrot, beans and cabbage suate for 30 seconds and add all the vegetables (except bell pepper, bamboo shoot and green part of spring onion) with, ajinomotto and pepper powder 1/4th tsp sauté for 2 minute on medium flame.
10. Add soya sauce, bamboo shoot, capsicum, and mix well, for 10 seconds.
11. Add chicken stock and allow boiling for 3 minutes on medium flame.
12. Add spring onion (green part) and boiled or cooked shredded chicken.
13. Boil for 2minutes and simmer for 5 to 6minutes, until the vegetables are cooked and well blended and getting lightly thick as per your consistency.
14. Add sesame oil 1tsp, vinegar 2tbsp, stir well.
15. Test the soup and adjust the seasoning as per your taste, check weather salt or any sauce is required.
16. At this stage add corn starch and boil for 2, the soup starts thickens or until the soup thickens and is as per your consistency and is cooked well (mix water and corn flour for the corn starch, mix well and add to the soup).
17. At this stage add vinegar more 1/2tbsp and pepper powder 1/4th tsp again very little, mix well, if needed and cook further for 2 to 3 minutes on simmer flame.
18. Now at the end, while simmering or after switch off, stir the soup in one direction and drop the egg mixture slowly, stir it quickly. Switch off immediately. I have used half the egg mixture as per my consistency.
19. You will see that as soon as the egg mixture is added, string or thread like will puff up and float on the soup.
20. Serve hot soup in a bowl and garnish with spring onions (green leaves).

Notes

1. The spring onion I use is some time so big and thin and sometime small and thin, so use as requires, just one normal spring onion is required.
2. If the soup thickens add more stock or water.
3. You can adjust the quantity of vegetables as per your taste.
4. Sometimes I add chilli oil, to make it hotter.
5. Add salt as per taste in the end.
6. I didn’t add salt for the stock (home made) and you can add chicken stock cube for extra flavour, which is totally optional.
7. Add vegetables as per your taste and garlic and ginger as per your taste also.
8. You can add chopped onion, tofu, cottage cheese (paneer) and other vegetables as per your taste.