Four Delicious Asian Noodle Soups to Keep Warm This Winter
There’s something unique about a flavorful soup that’s filled to the brim with noodles and garnished with meats, vegetables and spices. The classic chicken noodle soup always gets attention, but today let’s move on to a few delicious noodle soups that are perfect belly warmers.
Ramen
We’re right to start this list off with probably the most famous of all noodle soups: ramen! You are probably familiar with ramen, but sorry, top ramen doesn’t count. I’m not just a ramen snob here; this is true. There’s a reason good, authentic ramen shops attract crowds of hungry people and justify hours of waiting for a single bowl.
A well-made bowl works in a completely different galaxy: the noodles are crisp and springy , the broth comes from a very patient process that can take 8 to 24 hours (although it takes about five minutes to swallow the whole thing.), Other ingredients are added. such as dashi or tare for extra umami, and many different fillings such as bamboo shoots, green onions, seaweed, soft-boiled golden egg and brisket pieces, to name a few.
If you want to make authentic-flavored ramen at home , you need to concentrate on its heart: its broth. Most ramen broths are made primarily of pork, sardines, mackerel, kelp, or a combination, but the “weight” of the broth can also vary. Heavy ( cotteri ) broths are thick, cloudy and more fatty, while light ( assari ) broths are clear and runny . These are mostly personal preferences.
The video from Just One Cookbook above shows you how to make more cotteri miso ramen. (If you want to try tonkotsu or pork soup,watch this video. ) If you feel like a lighter assari broth, the video below from CiCi Li talks about soyu, a soy sauce-based ramen.
Ramen uses specific noodles and varies in thickness as well. I almost always prefer thick noodles because I love their chewy and velvety smoothness when I eat them. If you’re heading to the Asian market, look for something like this . Otherwise, you can use straight egg noodles orprepare them at home using a stand-up mixer. And don’t forget to fucking eat your noodles . The louder the better, the tastier.
Pho
Pho (pronounced fu ) is a Vietnamese noodle soup traditionally made with boiled beef fillets , onions, ginger, fish sauce and a “spice bag,” which is a mixture of various main spices . A bowl of pho usually features thin (or sometimes thicker and flatter) rice noodles and various cuts of beef, served with side dishes such as mint leaves, bean sprouts, cilantro, lime, and basil.
Pho is a universal dish at any time and at any time of the year. I will eat it, even if it’s 100 degrees outside (as long as there is air conditioning). Some people eat pho for breakfast, and the most famous champions I know swear it’s the best hangover cure .
The type of beef bones you use, as well as charring the onions and ginger before tossing them into the soup pot, helps to bring this awesome pho broth to life. For the best results, Steamy Kitchen offers bones that are loaded with collagen to make the broth thicker and fuller. Cow and leg knuckles are ideal, but if they are not available, get some ox tail; or ground beef or brisket if all else fails. Also, don’t forget to fish out that nasty-looking limescale that will float to the surface.
The video above is a basic beef pho recipe that consists of rice noodles in a soup with thin slices of steak on the sides (which is then cooked into a hot soup). You order pho with a variety of meats, including beef tripe, tendon , brisket, or even chicken; but count on it always comes with a bowl of raw mung bean sprouts (tip: you can ask for pre-boiled and softened), chopped chili peppers and other side dishes you can use to customize your soup.
Real Conversation: Try the broth first without adding a damn thing, including hoisin or sriracha sauce. This is where arguments for gravy or not gravy fall into the cake versus pie category, but you should definitely appreciate the fantastic pho broth before you start tweaking it.
Wonton noodles
Throw a rock in any direction while standing in Hong Kong and you’ll easily find a place serving a bowl of wonton noodle soup, where golden pockets of meat goodness float alongside al dente egg noodles in a simple chicken broth. Wontons are delicious in that they can be eaten with noodles, but not necessarily: enjoy the soup by themselves or by adding soy sauce and chili oil.
Unlike ramen and pho, soup is not a star. It’s like Robin, while the Wontons themselves are Batman: everyone cares about Batman and being Batman is a lot of work. I remember fondly spending whole days wrapping my arms in wontons with my aunt (like in this video , only less effective). These pastry packs contain whatever you want, but traditionally it is either a mixture of minced pork or shrimp with white pepper, a little Chinese wine and sesame oil. You can find wonton wrappers in your store’s refrigerator aisle, usually next to tofu.
The broth in wonton noodle soup is deliberately simple: chicken broth made with braised chicken bones (or whole chicken), ginger and green onions for 4-6 hours and then strained. Then add the egg noodles (something similar to the one shown here ), toss in a couple of boiled wontons and enjoy.
Curry Lax
Curry laksa is a delicious fusion of Chinese noodle soup and southeast Asian curry. It is common in Malaysia, Indonesia, and Singapore, where there is a slight twist and variation in the noodles, coconut milk, and toppings in the bowl in each region.
Coconut milk gives a creamy milky consistency, and the soup is complemented by chicken broth, chicken and shrimp. The typical curry laxa is garnished with shrimp, chicken, fried tofu pieces, and fish balls, and just like the traditional curry, you can turn the heat up to any level by adding more sambal olek , a type of chili sauce. Conversely, if you don’t want a fire in your mouth, add more coconut milk.
This is an in-depth video from Nyonya Cooking , easy to follow how to make Malaysian style curry laxa. Laksa soup is based on drum roll, please – laksa paste, which you can buy in advance in a can or whip it yourself . The paste is an oily sticky mixture of shrimp paste , chili peppers, shallots, lemongrass, turmeric and other spices. I’m not going to lie: it’s a pungent taste, so if you don’t like the “fishy” smell or taste, you will probably be intimidated at first, but in the end all the tastes balance out.
Alternatively, Kitchen Cat shares this semi-homemade recipe in which she uses a pre-made bag of laksa paste. She writes that the two secrets to making a great laksha are to first add a couple of kaffir limes and curry leaves, and to make a concentrated shrimp shell broth to enhance the flavor.
Sure, these heavenly dishes in a bowl are pretty adventurous food and take a lot of time and ingredients to prepare at home, but as I just came up with this quote, I said, “Nothing super tasty and worthwhile is easy.” Seriously, if you’ve never had these noodle soups, try them in a restaurant and tweet me pictures of your noodle soups so I can envy.