Asian Dumpling Soup

I seem to be on a super-easy soup kick lately, and that's a good thing for the rest of you. A couple weeks ago I wasn't feeling too well and just about any food available was looking rather unappetizing. The first day I felt a little more like eating, I threw together a few things I had on-hand and turned out this soup.

Once I researched a bit it turns out this is nothing new at all. Don't be afraid to add chopped kale or freshly grated ginger to this, it will only make it better.

Asian Dumpling Soup
Printable Recipe
Hands-On Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Serves: 6

Ingredients:

24 Asian dumplings such as gyoza (I used frozen vegetable dumplings)
6 cups chicken stock
1 1/2 cups shelled edamame
1 1/2 cups shredded carrots
2 Tablespoons soy sauce

Directions:

1. Heat stock to boiling and drop in dumplings and carrots. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes.
2. Add in edamame and cook for another 5 minutes. Stir in soy sauce just before serving.

Egg Drop Soup

This has got to be one of the easiest soups known to man. With 3 basic ingredients (2 if you're my husband) and very little time, you can whip this up as an accompaniment to a larger meal or serve as a light lunch by itself.

Egg Drop Soup

Printable Recipe
Serves 2

Total Time: 10 minutes

4 cups chicken stock

2 eggs - beaten

2 Tablespoons cornstarch

salt to taste

powdered ginger - optional

green onion tops - sliced thinly - optional for garnish

soy sauce - optional - for garnish

1. Bring stock to a boil - add a bit of ginger if you like.

2. Mix cornstarch with 4 Tablespoons water and stir until smooth.

3. Pour cornstarch into stock - whisking constantly - until thickened.

4. Stir the thickened stock in one direction and pour the eggs into the swirling liquid so that they cook into thin ribbons.

5. Salt to taste and ladle into bowls. Add green onion and soy sauce to the top of each bowl, if desired.

Egg Roll Soup

Egg Roll Soup

It's no secret by now that I am fond of de-constructing foods and putting them into soup form. Check out Pierogi Chowder and Philly Cheesesteak Soup to get an idea for what I do. I think egg rolls are one of the best foods ever and I had it in my head for some time to make a soup resembling one.

This soup is to-die-for! I mean it. It tastes exactly like the egg rolls I make and the crisp egg roll wrapper strips are so good the kids ate a tray of them without anything else. You can buy fried noodles if you wish, but there is no comparison to the ones made with egg roll wrappers. They are thinner and crispier than the store-bought ones.

There are very few ingredients here, but the flavor is huge. No need for added salt, the soy sauce and stock handle that end very well.

Egg Roll Soup

Printable Recipe

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

Serves: 8

2 Tablespoons vegetable oil plus more for frying

2 pounds boneless pork ribs - sliced thin (chicken is fine, too)

4 garlic cloves - minced

1 small head cabbage - shredded (about 6 cups)

2 small carrots - shredded (about 1 cup)

1 small bunch green onions - sliced (about 1/2 cup)

8 cups chicken stock

1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger

1/4 cup soy sauce - plus more for serving

10 egg roll wrappers cut into thin strips

1. Heat oil in a large soup pot and saute pork until no longer pink.

2. Add garlic and cook until fragrant.

3. Toss in remaining ingredients (except egg roll wrappers) and bring to a boil.

4. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes until vegetables are soft.

5. Meanwhile, cook strips of egg roll wrapper in hot oil in small batches until browned and crisp. This only takes a minute or so per batch.

6. Drain well on paper toweling.

7. When soup is done, ladle into bowls and top with fried egg roll wrappers and extra soy sauce, if needed.

Asian Chicken Noodle Soup

Reminiscent of pho, I find this soup just as satisfying with far less work. There are versions all over the 'net and in countless cookbooks. I like my own version, packed with bok choy, sno peas and rice noodles.

Asian Chicken Noodle Soup
Printable Recipe
Serves 4

4 cups chicken broth or stock
1 clove garlic - minced
2 Tablespoons mirin
2 Tablespoons rice vinegar
4 Tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
1/2 cup fresh cilantro - chopped
4 large green onions - sliced thinly
12 ounces cooked chicken breast - diced
2 cups bok choy - chopped (I like more green than white)
4 ounces sno peas - each cut in half
8 ounces rice noodles - soaked for 15 minutes in cold water

1. In a large stock or soup pot add stock, garlic, mirin, rice vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil and ginger. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer.
2. Add remaining ingredients and continue simmering until bok choy is just tender - about 15 minutes (I like mine to have a little bite left to it).

Guest Post: Quick and Easy Shoyu Ramen

This recipe comes from my friend Cheryl. We both belong to an email list and there was a discussion recently about healthy vs. unhealthy ramen. Most people don't know that there is a healthy version, but Cheryl, being the wealth of information that she is, let us all know about the "good" kind. Here's a recipe from her that looks fantastic. You can find her at Hapamama's Weblog. Thanks for this, Cheryl!


For most Japanese-Americans and starving college students, instant ramen is something of a pantry staple. In Japan, the ramen you would find in a ramen restaurant is a very different dish than the “Oodles of Noodles” that we're familiar with here in North America. Here's a quick and easy version of the kind of ramen you would find in a ramen shop in Japan.

Quick and Easy Shoyu Ramen
Printable Recipe
Ingredients

15-18 oz Chuka Soba cooked to package directions (see notes for substitutions)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
7 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1 cup water
3 tbsp mirin (or 3 tbsp sake + 1 tbsp sugar see notes for substitution)
½ cup soy sauce (use a naturally brewed one, recommend Kikkoman or Yamasa)
½ cup chopped green onion
shredded nori (optional)

Directions

Put the water, chicken broth, soy sauce, garlic, mirin and ginger in a pot and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat and let it simmer for about 15 minutes.

Put the cooked noodles into a bowl. Ladle the broth over the noodles to the desired amount. Top with chopped green onion and shredded nori if desired.

Notes:

If you can not find Chuka Soba, you could substitute the same amount of chow mein noodles (not the deep fried/crunchy ones) or thin spaghetti cooked slightly past the al dente stage.

Another substitute for mirin is sherry, or even just sugar