The hot and sour soup is claimed by both the mandarin as well as the sichuan cuisines as their own This spicy and sour soup allows you to experiment with many ingredients such as bamboo shoot, tofu slices, lily buds, button mushrooms and other fresh vegetables that are available in season. In this recipe weve used vegetables that you can find easily in the market, though you can experiment with the veggies you want to add. This soup is usually thick because of the cornstarch added into it. A great soup that is known to be good for colds and perk you up instantly, just slice in some extra ginger if you have a nasty cold and enjoy its heady flavors.