Manchow Soup (Manchow soup)
Overview
Manchow soup is a dark, spicy and garlicky soup from Indo-Chinese cooking. Finely chopped cabbage, carrot, beans, capsicum and mushrooms are stir-fried over high heat with lots of garlic, ginger, green chilli and coriander stems, then simmered in stock seasoned with soy sauce, vinegar and pepper. The soup is thickened with cornflour so it is glossy and slightly thick. It is served topped with a handful of crispy fried noodles, which add crunch, and spring onion. Chicken manchow, with shredded chicken, is just as common as the vegetable version, and the soup is a favourite starter in winter and during the monsoon.
History
Indo-Chinese food was developed by the Hakka Chinese community in Kolkata and later spread across India through restaurants in Mumbai and Delhi. Manchow soup became popular in the 1970s and 1980s and is often linked to the chef Nelson Wang. Despite its name, it has little to do with Manchuria and is a purely Indian creation, now found on almost every Indo-Chinese menu.
Main ingredients
Mixed vegetables, garlic, ginger, green chilli, soy sauce, fried noodles. The soup is built on vegetable stock and is usually served hot. Diet: vegan; not usually gluten-free.
Explore: Noodle soups · More soups from India
Recipe
Method
- 11 min
Fry the garlic, ginger and chillies in hot oil for 1 minute.
- 22 min
Add the vegetables and stir-fry over high heat for 2 minutes.
- 35 min
Add the stock, soy sauce, vinegar and pepper and simmer for 5 minutes.
- 4
Stir in the cornflour until thick and serve topped with fried noodles and spring onion.
- ✓
Serve. About 30 min from start to bowl.
Sources
Description, history and recipe written by SoupWiki and checked against the sources above. Calories and times are rough estimates.
