Chicken Hot and Sour Soup

Hot and sour soup is the test of every Chinese restaurant's kitchen -- when it's right, it's one of the most satisfying soups you can eat. The name is literal: the soup must be genuinely hot with white pepper and chilli, and genuinely sour with vinegar. Restaurants that make it mild and lightly vinegared are missing the point. The egg ribbons, drizzled in a thin stream while the soup stirs, are the technical showpiece -- they cook instantly into silky threads that add body and texture without heaviness.

White pepper is the non-negotiable ingredient. It provides a sharp, nasal heat different from chilli pepper -- more penetrating, more aromatic, the kind that warms the back of the throat rather than the front of the mouth. Be generous with it. The vinegar should be noticeable as a clean sharpness that lingers after each spoonful. Too much and the soup is tart; too little and it's just spicy broth.

The egg technique requires patience: a thin, steady stream and a constant circular stir. If you pour too fast, you get scrambled egg. If you stir too vigorously, the ribbons break up. The right pace gives you long, silky wisps floating through the glossy broth. Serve the moment it's finished -- the cornflour continues to thicken as it sits, and it will be noticeably different after 10 minutes.