Chinese soups are quick broths with a well-balanced combination of ingredients, full of crunchy vegetables and the firmness of tofu or meat, laced with vinegar.
The secret to a good Chinese soup is the stock, which is quite different from the traditional French Stock. Store-bought stock can also do the trick, but a homemade base stock would have a profound impact on the finished product. Make flavourful stock by simmering ginger, garlic, scallions and chicken bones. If you’d like, add clean chicken feet to your stock to make it gelatinous.
Vegetarians can make the stock can with bok choy stems, Napa cabbage, turnips, carrots, celery and leeks. Some dried shiitake in the stockpot can also add oodles of flavour to the stock.
Try the recipes below and rest assured you’ll have a soup that is going to be a winner!
HOT AND SOUR SOUP
Ingredients
Vegetable broth: 100 ml
Shiitake mushroom: 01 pcs
Cabbage (julienned): 50 gm
Carrot: 20 gm
Bamboo shoot (julienned): 20 gm
Vinegar: 20 gm
Soya sauce: 30 ml
Ginger: 10 gm
Egg: 1
Chilli paste: ½ tea spoon
Corn flour: ¼ cup
White pepper powder: 05 gm
Tofu (cut into ½ inch cubes): 20 gm
Method of preparation
Set aside ¼ cup of the chicken or vegetable broth for later use.
Add the remaining 7 ¾ cups chicken or vegetable broth, mushrooms, bamboo shoots (if using), rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, ginger and chilli garlic sauce to a large stock pot, and stir to combine. Heat over medium-high heat until the soup reaches a simmer.
While the soup is heating, whisk together the ¼ cup of broth (that you had set aside) and corn starch in a small bowl until completely smooth. Once the soup has reached a simmer, stir in the corn-starch mixture and stir for 1 minute or so until the soup has thickened.
Continue stirring the soup in a circular motion, then drizzle in the eggs in a thin stream (while still stirring the soup) to create egg ribbons. Stir in the tofu, half of the green onions, and sesame oil. Then season the soup with salt and a pinch* of white pepper (or black pepper) to taste. If you’d like a more “sour” soup, feel free to add in another tablespoon or two of rice wine vinegar as well. Or if you’d like a spicier soup, add in more chilli garlic sauce.
Serve immediately, garnished with the extra green onion.
VEGETABLE STOCK
Ingredients
Napa cabbage: 100 gm
Carrot (roughly cut): 01 pc
Celery chopped: 01 stick
Scallions: 02 stick
Turnips: 04 nos.
Leeks: 1 stick
Dried shiitake: 2–3 pcs
Method of preparation
To make the clear stock, combine all the above vegetables in a deep cooking pan with 01 litre of water, mix all and boil it with the first boil. Now, turn the flame low and boil it further until it reduces to ¾ of its initial quantity.
Strain the stock; you may discard the boiled vegetables.
CRISPY NOODLE FOR MANCHOW SOUP
Ingredients
Hakka noodles (boiled): 100 gm
Corn flour: 50 gm
Oil for deep frying
Method of preparation
Sprinkle corn flour over the boiled noodles; toss the noodles well so the corn flour coats each noodle strand.
Deep fry the noodle in hot oil until it becomes crispy.
Take out the noodles and set aside.
CHICKEN STOCK
Ingredients
Napa cabbage: 100 gm
Carrot (roughly cut): 01pc
Celery (chopped): 01stick
Scallions: 02 sticks
Turnips: 04 nos.
Leeks: 1 stick
Dried shiitake: 2–3 pcs
Chicken bones: 1 kg
Ginger: 2 inch
Garlic: 6–7 cloves
Method of preparation
To make the clear stock, combine all the above vegetables in a deep cooking pan with 01 litre of water, mix and boil it with the first boil. Then, turn the flame low and boil it further until it reduces to ¾ of its original quantity.
Strain it through a strainer. Discard the chicken bones and vegetables.
MANCHOW SOUP
Ingredients
Vegetable stock: 01 cup
Cooking oil: 01 tsp
Garlic (chopped): 10 gm
Ginger (chopped): 10 gm
Onion (chopped): 20 gm
Carrot (chopped): 30 gm
Cabbage (chopped): 30 gm
Beans (finely chopped): 01
Coriander (chopped): 20 gm
Corn flour: ¼ cup
Dark soya sauce: 05 gm
Chilli paste: 20 gm
Salt as per taste
Black pepper: a pinch
Sesame oil: 01 tea spoon
Method of preparation
Firstly, mix corn flour with ¼ cup of water to ensure there are no lumps. Set it aside.
Heat oil in a deep pot over medium flame then add garlic and ginger and sauté them until it becomes brown. Now, add the onion and sauté it all for another 01 minute.
Then, add the carrot, beans, capsicum and cabbage, and sauté them too for another 01 minute.
Then, add the stock.
Then, add chilli paste and soya sauce.
Mix them well and stir continuously for a minute to prevent lump formation.
Now, add the salt and pepper when the soup starts boiling. To the mix, add corn flour mixed water and stir it in continuously for a minute. Mix well and let the soup cook over medium flame.
At the end, add chopped coriander and sesame oil.
