Manchow Soup recipe with step by step photos
For the clear vegetable stock-
For the Clear Vegetable Stock of vegetable manchow soup recipe | restaurant style manchow soup | roadside manchow soup | scrub the vegetables and wash them to remove any dirt.
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Chop all the vegetables and keep them ready. There is no need to chop the vegetables finely or accurately as you just need to simmer them till they leach out all the flavor. Remember the greater the surface area, the more quickly vegetables will yield their flavor. Many people do not even peel the vegetables before chopping, that is your personal preference.
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Boil 6 cups of water in a deep non-stick pan. The pan/ pot must be big enough to hold all the vegetables plus a few extra inches of water.
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Add the cauliflower. There is no need to be so specific about the vegetables you add. Onions, carrots and celery give the basic vegetable stock a great base flavor, and you can combine them with whatever is easily available like garlic, mushrooms, corn cobs, bell peppers or fresh herbs like rosemary, thyme, parsley and leek. Starchy vegetables like potatoes and turnips will make for a cloudy vegetable stock so try to avoid them.
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Add the carrots. You can add any amount of vegetables but, just make sure to have a roughly equal portion of each so the resulting stock will have a balanced flavor.
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Add the cabbage to the Clear Vegetable Stock.
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Add the celery. This is like a crucial flavoring agent to any stock recipe.
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Finally add the spring onions to the Clear Vegetable Stock.
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Boil on a high flame for 20 minutes. If you have time, you can simmer the vegetables on a really slow flame for about 30-45 minutes. The flavor will deepen the longer you cook.
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Strain the water using a strainer or colander and discard the vegetables of the Clear Vegetable Stock.
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Use as required. The basic clear vegetable stock can be made ahead of time. Let it cool completely, then cover and chill, or freeze for up to 3 months.
For the cornflour-slurry-
To thicken the vegetable manchow soup recipe | restaurant style manchow soup | roadside manchow soup | we would require a cornflour slurry. In a small bowl take 2 tbsp of cornflour.
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Add ½ cup of water.
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Whisk well and keep aside.
How to make Manchow soup-
To make thevegetable manchow soup recipe | restaurant style manchow soup | roadside manchow soup | assemble all the ingredients, measure and keep them ready.
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To prepare the Chinese manchow soup, heat the oil in a wok / kadhai on a high flame till it smokes. A wok helps in distribution of heat evenly and the huge circumference helps in easy hand movement while stirring hence, it is suggested in Indo-Chinese cooking when the vegetables are generally sauteed on high heat. Also, we have made use of vegetable oil for the Manchow soup recipe but, you can use chilli oil or sesame oil to make the Indo-Chinese manchow soup more flavorful.
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Once the oil is hot, add the garlic.
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Add the ginger.
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Add green chilies and sauté on high flame for a few seconds or till the raw smell goes away. These aromatics are the main ingredients to get a tongue-tickling manchow soup. You can add more or less as per your preference but ensure they are finely chopped to get a pleasant mouthfeel.
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Add the cabbage. It can be replaced with purple cabbage.
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Add cauliflower. Clean and chop the cauliflower well to get rid of the hidden worms.
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Add capsicum. To make the Manchow soup more colorful, you can also add bell peppers.
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Add carrots. You can basically add any vegetables of your choice. Apart from the vegetables mentioned here, I even add mushrooms, French beans, baby corn to my veg manchow soup recipe.
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Sauté on high flame for 1 to 2 minutes. The vegetables need to retain their crunch and colour hence, do not overcook them.
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Add the tomatoes. To make the soup more nutritious, you can even toss in some paneer or tofu cubes.
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Add mint leaves. While pudina gives a refreshing taste to the Manchow soup, many people would dislike it. If you are one of them then swap mint with spring onion greens.
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Add coriander.
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Mix well and sauté on high flame for 1 minute.
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Add the prepared vegetable stock.
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Mix well and cook on a high flame for 2 to 3 minutes, while stirring occasionally.
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Add the salt.
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Add soya sauce. If you are a spicy food lover then at this stage you can even add chilli sauce and make the manchow soup more zingy.
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Mix well and cook on a high flame for another 2 minutes, while stirring occasionally.
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Stir and add the prepared corn flour-water mixture. The soup must be bubbling hot when you are about to add the corn-flour slurry or else it won’t thicken.
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Mix well and cook on a high flame for 2 to 3 more minutes, while stirring continuously. If the soup has not reached your desired level of thickness then add more cornflour slurry and if it has thicken a lot, add water and adjust the consistency.
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Add the pepper powder.
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Mix well and our manchow soup | veg manchow soup | vegetable manchow soup | Indo-Chinese manchow soup | is ready.
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Ideally the soup must be eaten immediately. If serving later then reheat the soup. Pour the manchow soup | veg manchow soup | vegetable manchow soup | Indo-Chinese manchow soup | into serving bowls and top with fried noodles. Crispy fried noodles have to be added just before eating or else they will turn soggy. Our website has a detailed recipe with step by step photos of fried noodles, you can refer this recipe of and make some at home.
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Here a list of some all-time famous Chinese vegetable soups that you might enjoy : Hot and Sour Soup, Vegetable and Noodle Soup, Sweet Corn Soup.