This is one item you cannot miss on the menu card of any Chinese restaurant. In fact, it has become so popular that it is there on almost all restaurant menus and that of buffets and party spreads as well. The famous Hot and Sour Soup is a tongue-tickling combination of sautéed vegetables, in a base of vegetable stock flavoured with Oriental sauces. The interplay of flavours and the exciting intervention of crunchy vegetables makes this soup a blockbuster hit.
Combine the cornflour and ½ cup of water in a bowl and mix well. Keep aside.
Heat the oil in a wok over a high flame, add the garlic and green chillies and sauté on a medium flame for a few seconds.
Add the cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, spring onions and sauté on a medium flame for 2 minutes.
Add the stock, vinegar, soya sauce, chilli sauce, coriander, salt and pepper, mix well and cook on a medium flame for 2 minutes, while stirring occasionally.
Add the cornflour-water mixture, mix well and cook on a medium flame for 3 to 4 minutes, while stirring occasionally.