Chicken Manchow Soup is one of our favourite spicy Indo-Chinese soups to cook at home in the winter.
Our authentic Chicken Manchow Soup recipe is quick and easy to make, ready to serve in under an hour.
You’ll love spooning through a bowl of hot Manchow Soup topped with crunchy fried noodles. The simple recipe features flavourful garlic, ginger, green onions, soy sauce and cilantro.
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What Is Soup?
Soup is a liquid food, generally served warm or hot (but can also be served cold like gazpacho), that is prepared by combining meat or vegetables with stock or water.
Hot soups are additionally characterized by boiling solid ingredients in liquids in a pot until the flavours are extracted, creating a rich broth.
Soups are similar to stews, and in some cases there may not be a clear distinction between the two. Soups generally have more liquid (broth) than chunkier and heartier stews.
In traditional French cuisine, soups are classified into two groups: clear soups (bouillon and consomme) and thick soups (purees, bisques, veloutes).
Purées are vegetable soups thickened with starch; bisques are made from puréed shellfish or vegetables thickened with cream; cream soups may be thickened with béchamel sauce; and veloutés are thickened with eggs, butter, and cream.
History of Soup
Evidence of the existence of soup can be found as far back as about 20,000 BC. Boiling was not a common cooking technique until the invention of waterproof containers, such as clay pots. To boil the water hot rocks were used.
The word soup comes from French soupe (broth), which comes through Vulgar Latin suppa (“bread soaked in broth”) from a Germanic source, from which also comes the word “sop”, a piece of bread used to soak up soup or a thick stew.
The word restaurant (meaning “restoring”) was first used in France in the 16th century, to refer to a highly concentrated, inexpensive soup, sold by street vendors, that was advertised as a cure to physical exhaustion. In 1765, a Parisian entrepreneur opened a shop specializing in such soups. This prompted the use of the modern word restaurant for eating establishments.
In America, the first colonial cookbook was published by William Parks in Williamsburg, Virginia, in 1742, based on Eliza Smith’s The Compleat Housewife; or Accomplished Gentlewoman’s Companion, and it included several recipes for soups and bisques.
English cooking dominated early colonial cooking; but as new immigrants arrived from other countries, other national soups gained popularity. In particular, German immigrants living in Pennsylvania were famous for their potato soups. In 1794, Jean Baptiste Gilbert Payplat dis Julien, a refugee from the French Revolution, opened an eating establishment in Massachusetts called The Restorator, and became known as the “Prince of Soups”.
Travel to Asia by Cooking Chicken Manchow Soup at Home
I love traveling to Asia.
As a professional food and travel journalist, I’ve had the opportunity to enjoy amazing authentic Asian meals, from traditional markets to award winning restaurants, in Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam, Thailand, Laos, Myanmar, Cambodia and The Maldives.
For over ten years, I’ve been on the hunt for the best Chicken Manchow Soup. I’ve embarked on culinary adventures at Indian Chinese restaurants in Hong Kong, Macau, Taipei, Delhi, Agra, Kerala and Mumbai.
Manchow soup is a soup popular in Indian Chinese cuisine due to its easy preparation and hot spicy taste. It is available in many restaurants and at street food in bustling Indian markets. Although the soup is named after Manchuria it does not resemble any that is normally found in the cuisines of the region.
The origin of Manchow Soup is Meghalaya, located between Assam and Bangladesh. The dark brown soup is prepared with vegetables, scallions, and chicken, thickened with broth and corn flour, and flavoured with generous doses of soy sauce, salt, garlic and chili peppers. It is often garnished with chopped spring onions, and served with crispy fried noodles and cilantro.
Where To Eat Authentic Manchow Soup
If you live in a large city in Canada or America you’ll likely have access to a local Indian restaurant that serves a traditional “street stall-style” Chicken Manchow Soup.
Haven’t traveled to the India before? It may be helpful to first sample Chicken Manchow Soup at a local restaurant to better understand how the soup is served. You’ll get an idea of how finely you need to chop the vegetables and the desired spiciness level. You’ll also find inspiration in what to pair with Manchow Soup such as such as Green Onion Cakes, Indian Crepes, Indian Onion Salad, Chicken Shahi Korma, Vegetarian Shahi Paneer and Crispy Ginger Beef.
In Toronto, popular Indian restaurants that may serve Shahi Paneer include Udupi Palace, Lahore Tikka House, Kothur Indian Cuisine, Yeuh Tung Hakka and Frederick’s.
My Family Loves Chicken Manchow Soup
My family has a tradition of eating soup and salad for lunch on Sunday’s after getting home from church. Soup is such an simple and brainless meal to serve a busy family with kids.
My dad would often make cream of tomato soup and serve a bowl with grilled cheese sandwiches and pickles. Our family also loved slurping through bowls of Butternut Squash Soup, French Onion Soup and Chicken Noodle Soup.
Some of the fondest memories of my childhood spent in Toronto, Markham, Oakville and Muskoka are cozying up to a bowl of homemade soup with gourmet crackers, artisanal cheese and sourdough bread.
During October in Ontario we’d often visit popular Fall Fairs in Norfolk County, Niagara and Prince Edward County to go on fun rides, run through corn mazes and purchase fresh local fruits and vegetables at the peak of harvest season.
Onions, bell peppers, carrots, cabbage, green beans and scallions are available in abundance year round in Canada but we especially love to serve this savoury soup during Thanksgiving and the chilly winter season.
Chicken Manchow Soup Health Benefits
Our homemade Manchow Soup recipe is packed full of healthy ingredients!
Onions are a humble vegetable packed with vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals. Regular consumption of leeks can help boost digestive health and reduce the risk of developing heart disease.
It is only recently that scientists have begun to identify the components responsible for garlic’s myriad health benefits. Rich in phytochemicals and potassium, garlic helps boost your immune system, fight cancer and protect your heart.
Ginger contains at least 14 phytochemricals, many of which have impressive antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. It also has a good source of copper, which supports your bones, blood and nervous system.
An excellent source of vitamin A and the phytochemical beta-carotene, carrots help keep your eyes and bones healthy, and may help protect against several types of cancer.
Beans are rich in cancer-fighting vitamin C, energy-boosting B vitamins, and gut-healthy fibre.
An excellent source of vitamins K and C, cabbage helps keep your bones, blood, and immune system healthy.
Bell Peppers are an incredible source of vitamins C and A, which support your skin and immune system. They also provide beneficial carotenoid compounds such as beta-carotene, which has been shown to reduce the risk of certain cancers.
Chicken is high in protein and provides B vitamins such as niacin, which helps your body access the energy in foods.
Eggs contain two vital nutrients that are not present in many foods: iodine and vitamin D. Eggs are also rich in tissue-building protein and vitamin B12, which helps your body manufacture blood cells.
A good source of bone-strengthening vitamin K, cilantro is also rich in antioxidants that help protect the eyes from damage by free radicals.
Soup Tips
This healthy homemade soup is quick and easy to make at home. We’ve included a few tips for first time soup makers!
- Use a large cast iron dutch oven with a high rim to reduce splatter when cooking and pureeing the vegetables.
- We suggest using a high quality rubber spatula spoon when making soup so you can easily stir, scrape down the side of the pot and sip to check if it needs to be seasoned further with more salt before spooning into bowls.
- If you want a spicier soup feel free to add the pepper seeds to the boiling broth.
- You can substitute scallions for regular cooking onions.
- Some Manchow Soup recipes also include sautéed mushrooms.
What To Serve with Our Easy Manchow Soup
There’s nothing more comforting on a cold day then cozying up to a bowl of soup with a fresh salad, gourmet crackers, artisanal cheeses, sourdough bread, savoury muffins and homemade pickles.
If you’re hosting a large dinner party you might want to serve our Chicken Manchow Soup as an appetizer before serving heartier mains. We love serving this soup with Osaka Okonomayaki, Calgary Ginger Beef, Keto Jalapeno Poppers, Instant Pot Short Rib Ragu, Cheesy Polenta, Vegetarian Roti Canai Curry, Gruyere Grilled Cheese Sandwich, Old School Cheese and Onion Pie, Green Onion Cake, Baked Mediterranean Chicken Thighs, Baked Chicken Cracklings, Homemade Savoury Pickle Pie, Indian Crepes, Vietnamese Crepe Bánh Xèo, Tartiflette Reblochon or Ricotta Gnocchi.
After dinner why not dazzle your guests with one of our popular desserts such as Oat Flour Cookies with Chocolate Chips, Dark Chocolate Lindt Lindor Cookies, Maraschino Cherry Cupcakes Recipe or Cinnamon Babka For Chocolate Lovers.
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Storing Manchow Soup
If you have leftover Chicken Manchow Soup you can store it in the fridge in an airtight container for up to a week. To reheat simply zap it in the microwave or simmer in a small saucepan on the stove.
We love doubling our soup recipes so can store leftovers in the freezer and save time on cooking in the kitchen. We suggest storing leftover soup in Pyrex freezer safe containers that have a snug lid so there’s not spilling. My mother often uses old glass pasta sauce jars to store soup in the freezer.
Be sure to let your soup reach room temperature before storing it in the freezer. If you add a hot jar of soup to a cold freezer it will significantly reduce the interior temperature and potentially spoil your food.
How To Make Chicken Manchow Soup
Chicken Manchow Soup
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp Canola Oil
- 5 Garlic cloves minced
- 2 tbsp Fresh ginger minced
- 1 Green chili finely chopped
- 1 1/2 cups Scallions finely chopped
- 2 Chicken breasts sliced
- 1 1/2 cups Carrots finely chopped
- 1 cup Green beans finely chopped
- 1 cup Cabbage finely chopped
- 1 cup Red Bell Pepper finely chopped
- 4 cups Chicken stock
- 3 tbsp Soy sauce
- 2 tbsp Rice wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp Black pepper
- 4 tbsp Cornstarch
- 2 Eggs beaten
- 1 cups Chinese egg noodles
- Canola oil for deep frying
- Cilantro garnish
Instructions
- In a deep fryer or large wok, deep fry cooked Chinese egg noodles, 2-3 minutes, until golden brown. Remove with a slotted metal spoon and let cool to room temperature on a paper towel.
- In a large pot or dutch oven heat oil and add ginger, garlic, Green chili and spring onions. Saute for 2-3 minutes and add the sliced chicken breast.
- Saute chicken for a minute on medium heat than add carrots, green beans, bell peppers and cabbage along with a pinch of salt and chicken stock. Bring to a quick boil and then reduce to a simmer.
- In a small bowl, whisk together soy sauce, vinegar, pepper, corn flour and 1/2 cup water until no lumps appear. Add this "slurry" to the pot and keep stirring until the soup thickens.
- Beat egg in a small bowl and pour into soup mixture. Lightly stir.
- Once the soup thickens, let it simmer for two minutes then serve topped with fried noodles and chopped cilantro.
Nutrition
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