I don’t know what kind of allure I have for soup. It’s a dish that literally tempts me to order every time I open a menu and sit down to decide. Maybe because we ate a lot of soup when I was a kid. Soup marked the beginning of a meal. It was also the first bite you put in your mouth when you came running to the table, starving after a long day. There would always be soup. My grandmother’s kitchen, somewhat influenced by western food, probably thought Maharashtrian, produced a range of the basic soups – tomato, cream of spinach, cream of chicken soup. At the club they ate mushrooms, asparagus or a Mulligatawny soup. I started to love the comfort of this warm, thick broth and I think that’s where my love for soup first started.
It’s the latest wrinkle these days to talk about one-bowl or one-pot meals. A bowl full of fresh ingredients, bold seasonal flavors and a multitude of textures and temperatures. What’s a good soup if it’s not exactly that? It’s protein, veggies, carbs, grains, legumes, and flavors in one bowl, however you choose to combine them all. I mean, even before the advent of a good recipe, a YouTube channel (ha) or even a kitchen, gathering a few ingredients and cooking them in a pot was not only easy, but nutritious and filling.
There is no meal as simple and yet so complex as a soup. And while modern soups all originate from grains, wheat or rice cooked in water or milk, and we could discuss how the soups originated from the porridge of Britain or the Bouillon, Consommés, Veloutés, Bisques and Bouillabaisses from France, let’s talk about my favorite kinds of soups ever – Asian soups.
From Myanmar to China, Thailand, Vietnam and faraway Japan, soups are a staple of every meal. But if you ask me what is my favorite soup? I will tell you. These are my all-time favorite Asian soups. There’s nothing I like more than a well-made sweetcorn crab soup.
Sweet Corn Crab Soup
Every Chinese restaurant in India serves Sweet Corn Crab Meat Soup, including the Chinese roadside cart. The crab is usually replaced with chicken or vegetables, depending on availability, allergies and choice. It’s a thick soup, simple and hearty, with sweet corn kernels in a strong-tasting meat or seafood broth with egg drop thickened with arrowroot cornstarch and a cheery serving of fresh crab claw meat. If the crab meat is not fresh or available, I choose shrimp. Works for me if and only if there is no crab.
Tom Yam Goong
When you think of Thai food, you think of complex aromatic, pungent flavors all coming together. A unique blend of spices, chilli heat, herbs, sweeteners, seasonings, all combined with bitter, sharp, sour, creamy ingredients that make Thai food distinctive. “Tom Yam” comes from two Thai words, “Tom” for cooking and “Yam” for mixed. Goong means shrimp, of course. It is essentially a hot and sour soup where the inherent flavors come from three spices: lemongrass, galangal and makrut (kaffir) lime leaves. It is hot, sour, spicy and immensely aromatic.
Laksa
Laksa is one of the most celebrated dishes in Singapore and Malaysia, and the best Laksa you can have is in the street food markets. It’s a bowl full of hot, spicy and creamy flavor. Loaded with lemongrass, galangal and chilies, served with thick rice noodles and fresh treats such as cucumbers, onions, mint, pineapple, strong and sweet shrimp paste and ginger flour. The Laksa comes in a number of local varieties. I love the Sarawak Laksa which is served with rice vermicelli noodles and topped with sliced egg omelette, chicken strips, peeled boiled shrimp and chopped coriander leaves in a soup made with sambal Belacan chili, coconut milk, sour tamarind, garlic, galangal, and lemongrass. It’s just heaven.
Chicken Won-Ton Soup
So simple that it is available all over India, even on the go. It is a hot Chinese broth flavored with soy sauce, topped with chopped spring onions, vegetables and delicate wontons. The stock is made with a mixture of chicken, meat, and ginger and scallions and should simmer for a few hours. Just before serving, wonton wrappers are filled with a mixture of ground dried shrimp, minced pork or chicken, ginger, sugar, soy sauce, sesame oil and Chinese chives, folded gently and then added to the stock and let it cook for a few minutes in the stock.
All this talk has made me hungry for soup. Yes, hungry for soup and not thirsty, because remember, in English we never say “I drink soup”, we always say “I eat soup”. Even if I would just say: “I’m wrecking the soup”.
Kunal Vijayakar is a food writer from Mumbai. He tweets @kunalvijayakar and can be followed on Instagram @kunalvijayakar. His YouTube channel is called Khaane Mein Kya Hai. The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not represent the views of this publication.
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