Firstly, wash all the vegetables thoroughly and finely chop them. Finely chopped vegetables cook quickly and give the soup a restaurant-style texture.

To prepare the corn flour slurry, in a small bowl, take corn flour and water.

Mix well until the corn flour dissolves completely and forms a smooth, lump-free slurry. Keep it aside.

Heat oil in a large kadai. Add finely chopped ginger, garlic, green chilli, and onion.

Sauté on a high flame until the onion softens slightly and the ginger and garlic turn aromatic. Do not brown the onion.

Add the finely chopped mushrooms and sauté well. Cook until the mushrooms release their moisture and shrink slightly. Adding mushrooms is optional.

Now add carrot, cabbage, beans, sweet corn, and capsicum.

Add salt and stir-fry the vegetables over high heat for about 2 minutes.

Do not overcook the vegetables. They should retain a light crunch for the best texture.

Pour in 5 cups of water and mix well. For a richer flavour and added nutrition, you can replace the water with vegetable stock.

Add chilli sauce, vinegar, soy sauce, and black pepper powder.

Mix everything well and taste the soup. Adjust the chilli sauce, vinegar, salt, and pepper to taste.

Mix the prepared corn flour slurry once again, as the corn flour may settle at the bottom.

Slowly pour the slurry into the soup while stirring continuously. Continue stirring to prevent lumps from forming.

Bring the soup to a boil and cook for about 2 minutes, or until it thickens slightly. Do not make the soup too thick, as it will continue to thicken slightly after cooling.

Finally, add finely chopped coriander and spring onion greens. Mix well and turn off the flame.

Serve the Hot and Sour Soup immediately while it is hot.