How to turn your kitchen into a Chinese restaurant. The most delicious and famous Asian soup recipes that you can easily make at home
Asian food is one of the best and appreciated worldwide. Many Romanians especially love Asian soups, with noodles or meat, but do not dare to try them at home, for fear of being too complicated or exclusive. But there are super delicious easy Asian soup recipes.
Stuffed Dumpling Soup PHOTO marleyspoon.com
Chinese food is one of the most popular and appreciated globally, famous for its diversity of flavors, complex preparation techniques and adaptability. In addition, it has a perfect nutritional balance, based on an ideal proportion of vegetables, meat and carbohydrates, and is often considered a very healthy option. Not to mention the fact that Chinese cuisine is one of the oldest and richest culinary heritages in the world. Not infrequently, Chinese dishes have managed to impress at various global gastronomic competitions.
In Chinese gastronomy, soups are especially distinguished. They are among the most popular Chinese dishes globally. First of all, because they are very aromatic, very delicious, but also complex. They offer a complete culinary experience, combining rich textures, healing properties (thanks to ingredients like ginger) and quick preparation.
In Romania, after 1990, Asian food gained more and more ground, both through the appearance of restaurants with Asian specifics, as well as the ingredients and dishes specific to Chinese, Japanese or Thai gastronomy in large stores or even in specialized public catering units. Many times, however, a meal in the city can prove expensive for Romanians with average incomes, so Chinese food, especially the delicious soups, remains in the category of rarely satisfied indulgences. However, there are some particularly tasty Asian soup recipes that can also be prepared at home.
The delicious Dan Hua Tang or Chinese soup with “rags” of egg
One of the easiest to make yet delicious Chinese soups is Dan Hua Tang or Egg Rag Soup. Dan Hua Tang is a quick and comforting soup, a classic of Chinese cuisine, made by slowly pouring beaten eggs into a hot and spicy chicken broth. It's ready in just 10-15 minutes.
Here is what you need for such a preparation. For the soup: four cups of chicken or vegetable stock (you can make it with vegetables or chicken stock and store it to use when you need it), 2 tablespoons of cornstarch mixed with cold water (as a thickener), three large eggs, lightly beaten. Condiments needed: half a teaspoon of sesame oil (it's the most expensive ingredient, but one bottle is enough for many dishes), half a teaspoon of salt, a pinch of white pepper and soy sauce. Also prepare a finely chopped green onion, for the final decoration.
And we get to work. First, bring the chicken soup to a boil in a medium pot. Add salt, white pepper, soy sauce and sesame oil. Afterwards, pour the starch mixture into the soup, stirring gently. Let it boil for about a minute, on low heat, until it thickens. Then slowly pour the beaten eggs into the soup, in a thin stream, while gently mixing. Take the pot off the heat and garnish with green onions. And that's all.
A delicious food, almost 2000 years old
Suan La Tang or hot and sour soup is a symbol of Chinese gastronomy. It is actually an ancient culinary dish, whose origins stretch back nearly 2,000 years to the Han and Song dynasties. It was originally conceived as a folk remedy to combat summer fatigue and warm the body in the cold season. Unlike modern variants, its spiciness traditionally comes from white pepper, not chili peppers.
It was simple and cheap peasant food eaten by common people who needed nutritious yet affordable food. White pepper stimulated blood circulation, vinegar aided digestion, and wood ear mushrooms and tofu helped support immunity. As the soup became popular, nobles adopted the recipe and refined it, adding more luxurious ingredients such as fish fins, sea cucumbers or high-quality ham.
Sweet and Sour Soup PHOTO allrecipes.com
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The recipe that we are about to present is the peasant, original version. To prepare it you need: chicken or vegetable soup (as a base), mushrooms (preferably wood ears – found in supermarkets), a cup of diced tofu, boiled and shredded chicken (optional). For “sourness” and “hotness” you need the following mixture: a quarter of a cup of white vinegar, 2 tablespoons of soy sauce, a teaspoon of chili sauce or chili oil, a teaspoon of ground white pepper. As spices you need: a teaspoon of freshly grated ginger and a clove of minced garlic. You also need the thickening agent, i.e. the starch mixed with water, as in the previous recipe. Don't forget two large, well-beaten eggs, a teaspoon of sesame oil and green onions for decoration.
Let's get cooking. In a large pot, combine the stock with the ginger, chili sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil and white pepper. Heat over medium-high heat until it reaches a gentle boil. Then add the sliced mushrooms and tofu. Let the soup simmer gently for 3–5 minutes, until the mushrooms soften. We move on to thickening the soup. Mix the cornstarch solution well before use. While gently stirring the soup in a circular motion (forming a vortex), slowly pour in the starch mixture. Let it boil gently for about 1 minute, until it thickens. We turn off the fire or reduce it to a minimum and add the beaten eggs. The technique is this: we mix slowly in one direction and pour the beaten eggs in a thin continuous stream in a swirl to form those fine “ribbons” of egg. Finally, add the vinegar (taste and adjust) and the chopped green onion.
Japanese art in one plate
Leaving gastronomic China, we cross the East China Sea and arrive in Japan. There we come across other goodies of Asian gastronomy. And obviously over the famous Japanese soups. First of all, we are talking about beef udon soup, a delicacy that you can easily make at home. In Japan it is called Niku Udon and is a very popular comfort food. It is made with thick and springy wheat noodles, served in an aromatic dashi broth, seasoned with soy sauce, with tender slices of beef cooked in a sweet and salty sauce.
The udon pasta I mentioned should not deter you. You can find them in many supermarkets in the country. As for the sauce, you can make it yourself quite easily. But let's see how old this dish is. Its origins are lost in the 8th century. After beef was accepted and integrated into the Japanese diet, chefs and housewives began to combine it with traditional udon noodles and dashi broth. This combination quickly enjoyed enormous success and became a staple in Japanese households.
Later, with the adoption of Buddhism in Japan, for over a thousand years the consumption of the flesh of four-legged animals was largely discouraged or prohibited. It was only with the Meiji Era, i.e. from the end of the 19th century and with the opening of borders and mentalities, that beef udon soups returned to the place of honor.
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Today, Niku Udon is considered one of Japan's most popular cold-day dishes, prized for its balance of broth, thick noodles, and tender beef.
Beef Udon Soup PHOTO aaronandclaire.com
But let's put history aside and see what ingredients we need. First, sliced beef (a tender veal). Then soy sauce, udon noodles, a small finely chopped onion, sliced garlic, finely chopped green onions, ginger and mushrooms.
Let's proceed to the preparation of beef udon soup. First, boil the udon noodles according to the instructions on the package, then drain and set aside. Brown the beef in a large pot or pan until it has color and flavor. We temporarily remove it from the pot.
In the same pot, saute the garlic, ginger and mushrooms for a few minutes, until they become tender and fragrant. Add the soup base, soy sauce and sesame oil. You can also add mirin (a sweet, low-alcohol rice wine) if you can find it in larger stores. Mix well and let it boil on low heat for a few minutes. Add the udon noodles and beef back to the pot, then heat everything up for another 1–2 minutes. Finally, in the plates, put sliced green onions, half a boiled egg and sesame seeds in the soup. Attention, the beef must be very tender or kept in the bait.
