Veg Manchow Soup is a delicious vegan Asian soup loaded with vegetables. It's one of the most popular Asian-style soups in India. Manchow soup is served with fried noodles on top which makes it even more appetizing.
I love soups and though they taste the best on colder days, I enjoy them in every season.
Today, I am sharing the recipe for a very easy and tasty Asian-style vegetable soup called veg Manchow soup.
It's made by cooking very finely chopped vegetables in a delicious, slightly hot & spicy broth filled with Asian flavors. The soup is garnished with fried noodles which I enjoy the most in this soup.
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What is Manchow Soup?
Like most people, before you also assume that Manchow soup is a Chinese or Indo-Chinese soup, just by reading its name, let me clarify that the origin of Manchow soup is not confirmed.
It's believed that the origin of this delicious soup is not China but a beautiful Northeastern state of India- Meghalaya.
Considering the fact that the Manchow soup recipe is not available on the blog of any Chinese food blogger and only the Indian food bloggers have shared this recipe, this belief could be true.
However, a lot of Indians think that it's a Chinese or Indo- Chinese soup because that's the category under which it's sold in India. Manchow soup is one of the most popular soups in Indo- Chinese restaurants.
What goes in veg Manchow soup?
To make this delicious veg manchow soup, you will need the ingredients shown below:
Ingredients for fried noodles
Ingredient notes
- Vegetables: Generally, the vegetables that are added to veg manchow soup are carrot, cabbage, French beans, bell pepper, and mushrooms. Make sure to chop them very finely. You can use a manual chopper or food processor to make this step easier.
- Vegetable stock: Water can also be used but vegetable stock makes the soup more flavorful. You can also use mushroom stock.
- Cilantro stems: Cilantro stems are very flavorful so don't waste them. Finely chop them and add to the soup.
How to make (step by step process)?
Step 1: Put boiled noodles in a large bowl. Add salt and corn starch.
Step 2: Toss.
Step 3: Heat oil in a wok and add noodles to it
Step 4: Separate the strands with a pair of tongs and fry until the noodles turn golden brown from all sides.
Step 5: Take out on a plate lined with a kitchen paper towel.
Step 6: Heat around 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil in a cooking pot. Add finely chopped ginger, garlic, and hot green chili peppers. Saute for a few seconds or until they become fragrant.
Step 7: Add chopped onion and white part of spring onion.
Step 8: Saute until the onion becomes translucent.
Step 9: Add cilantro stems. Saute for a few seconds.
Step 10: Add all the vegetables.
Steps 11 and 12: Saute on high flame for 4-5 minutes. The vegetables should be cooked but remain crunchy.
Step 13: Add vegetable stock, soy sauce, vinegar, salt, and pepper.
Step 14: Mix everything and let the soup boil.
Step 15: In a bowl, mix corn starch with some water to make corn starch slurry.
Step 16: Add the corn starch slurry to boiling soup, and stir continuously for 1-2 minutes.
Step 17: Cook until the soup thickens.
Step 18: Before serving garnish with fried noodles.
Your delicious vegetarian manchow soup is ready to be enjoyed!
Serving suggestions
Serve manchow soup hot with fried noodles on top. If you don't want to use fried noodles, use crispy baked noodles.
Manchow soup can be served as a soup as well as a light meal.
For a complete homecooked vegetarian or vegan Asian meal, serve it with vegetable chowmein and veg manchurian.
Storing tips
To store, allow the soup to reach room temperature then transfer to an airtight container. Refrigerate for 2-3 days.
Store the fried noodles separately. To store them, line an airtight container with a paper kitchen towel and then put the fried noodles on it. Cover with another paper towel and put on the lid. Fried noodles will be fine for more than a week.
Freezing tips
This Asian-style vegetable soup freezes well.
Freeze it in batch-size freezer-safe containers or zip lock bags for 3-4 months.
Don't add fried noodles. Store them separately or fry them fresh when you want to serve the soup.
Once thawed, don't re-freeze the soup.
Recipe tips and tricks
- Though the vegetables that I have added are the vegetables that are generally used in this soup you can add or skip a few based on your liking.
- If you prefer a thinner soup, add less corn starch.
- Don't stop stirring for 1-2 minutes after adding corn starch slurry to avoid lump formation in the soup.
- Add fried noodles just before consuming the soup. Once you put them in the soup bowl they will start turning soft and we want to enjoy them crisp. You can serve the fried noodles on the side too.
- For a hotter version of this soup, add some chili oil or hot sauce to it.
- While frying the noodles, keep stirring and separating the strands from each other using a pair of tongs, when the strands are still soft. Once they turn crisp they will break if you try to separate them.
Frequently asked questions
Most people who love this soup will agree that a Manchow soup won't be a Manchow soup without fried noodles. It will taste incomplete. Once you enjoy it with fried noodles you will not want to skip them ever.
However, if you really don't want to have fried noodles with your soup, use crispy baked noodles.
Yes, they both are the same and are used to thicken the soup.
But, don't mix them up with maize flour which is also called cornflour in some countries.
More easy vegan Asian soup recipes
Looking for more easy vegan Asian soup recipes? Don't miss to check the following recipes on my blog:
Other vegetable soup recipes
If you want to vegetable soup recipes then the following links are worth checking:
- Roasted zucchini and potato soup
- Creamy noodle soup with vegetables
- Vegan borscht (Russian/ Ukranian beetroot soup)
- Ginger carrot soup
If you try any of my recipes, please rate ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ it on the recipe card and also leave your feedback in the comments section below. You can also follow me on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, and subscribe to my youtube channel.
Recipe
Veg Manchow Soup
Equipment
- Cooking pot
Ingredients
- ¼ cup finely chopped button mushrooms
- ¼ cup finely chopped french beans
- ¼ cup finely chopped carrots
- ¼ cup finely chopped cabbage
- ¼ cup finely chopped bell pepper (capsicum)
- 1 small onion finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic
- ½ teaspoon finely chopped ginger
- 1-2 finely chopped hot green chili peppers adjust as per taste
- ¼ cup finely chopped spring onion keep white and green part separated
- ¼ cup roughly chopped cilantro leaves
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped cilantro stems
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- ½ tablespoon white vinegar
- 2 tablespoons corn starch
- Ground black pepper to taste
- Salt to taste
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 4 cups vegetable stock/ water
Ingredients for fried noodles
- 1 cup boiled noodles
- 1 tablespoon corn starch
- Salt to taste
- Vegetable oil/ canola oil for deep frying the noodles
Instructions
- Sprinkle corn starch and salt on boiled noodles. Toss until the starch gets evenly coated on each strand. Heat oil in a pot and deep fry the noodles until they turn golden brown. Take them out on a plate lined with a paper towel. Keep the fried noodles aside.
- In another cooking pot, heat around 1 tablespoon of oil. Add ginger, garlic, and green chilies. Saute for a few seconds or until they become fragrant.
- Add chopped onion and white part of spring onion. Saute until the onion becomes translucent.
- Add chopped cilantro stems and saute for a few seconds.
- Next, add all the vegetables. Stir fry them on high flame for 4-5 minutes. The vegetables should be cooked but remain crunchy.
- Add vegetable stock/ water, soy sauce, vinegar, salt, and pepper. Mix and let the soup boil.
- While the soup is boiling, mix 2 tablespoons of corn starch with around 3 tablespoons of water to make a smooth slurry.
- Once the soup starts boiling, add corn starch slurry to it and stir continuously for 1-2 minutes. Cook until the soup thickens.
- Add chopped cilantro leaves and spring onion greens. Mix.
- Pour the soup into a serving bowl, garnish with fried noodles and chopped spring onion greens. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Though the vegetables that I have added are the vegetables that are generally used in this soup. You can add or skip a few based on your liking.
- If you prefer a thinner soup, add less corn starch.
- Don't stop stirring for 1-2 minutes after adding corn starch slurry to avoid lump formation in the soup.
- Add the fried noodles just before consuming the soup. Once you put them in the soup bowl they will start turning soft and we want to enjoy them crisp. You can serve the fried noodles on the side too.
- For a hotter version of this soup, add some chili oil or hot sauce to it.
- More recipe tips and tricks are given within the post above, please follow them to make this recipe.
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