Perusing Asian Soup Options

The traditions and practices that surround soup culture in Asian countries may initially seem unusual to the average North American household. For instance, a typical way to start one’s day in Japan is with a bowl of miso soup for breakfast.

While a dish made from fermented soybean paste will probably not take our nation’s quick-serve restaurant breakfast value menus by storm, this savory soup—and others from throughout Asia—should not be overlooked by manufacturers who continue to search for flavorful yet healthy meal solutions to bring to the market.

Basic approaches

Like other soups from around the world, many Asian soups begin with stock, which is then accented with various ingredients to develop a wide range of soups.

When creating Chinese and Japanese soups, frequently the first step is to simmer pork, ham or chicken, complete with the bones. Chicken broth is quite common in Chinese soups, and often is flavored with traditional ingredients —which often cross the line between culinary and medicinal—like licorice root, wolfberries, astragalus, rehmannia, burdock and schizandra berries. Stocks made from pork bones frequently form the basis of the omnipresent ramen soups found in both China and Japan, while stock made from ham and chicken—such as Shandong broth—serves as the base for the famous, but ecologically controversial, shark fin soup. The Shandong cuisine of the Jiaodong Peninsula is known for its extensive use of seafood and particularly for its clear (thin, basic broth) and milky (thicker, with stronger flavor) soups.

In Japan, the starting point for most soups is the combination of kombu and katsuobushi. Kombu is seaweed that has been dried and then sheeted, which yields an intense, flavor-enhancing ingredient. Katsuobushi is created by boiling, smoking and then sun-drying tuna—typically skipjack—and shaving it into flakes or creating a powder. Mixing kombu and katsuobushi with water yields the soup stock dashi. Some dashi preparations use bonito—a type of fish related to mackerel—instead of tuna. Adding mirin—sweet rice wine—to dashi further accents its flavor. Niboshi dashi, a type of dashi created by steeping dried sardines in water, or boiling them, creates a stock-like liquid that is often the basis of miso soup.

Demystifying miso

Most Asian cuisines are characterized by pungent spices. But rarely are these found in Japan. In the Japanese home, a basic miso soup is made very quickly with only a few simple ingredients, with the soup’s namesake ingredient at the core.

Miso is fermented soybean paste made by inoculating cooked soybeans with koji, a mold (Aspergillus oryzae) also used in the production of some types of soy sauce. The paste, which has a thick consistency not unlike peanut butter, is then aged for six months up to three years.

To make miso soup, the miso is whisked together with dashi. Traditional garnishes of cubed, firm tofu and thinly sliced dried seaweed (wakame) and chopped green onion are added, and the mixture is simmered briefly before serving.

Commercially, this soup could be manufactured as a refrigerated meal kit. Dehydrated bonito granules, already a common ingredient found in many Asian markets worldwide, would provide the consumer with an instant dashi that just needs the addition of hot water. A small pouch or tube of miso could be included to add to one’s individual taste, and the tofu and seaweed garnishes could be included, as well. Additional serving suggestions—or line extensions—could be provided, including diced chicken with shredded carrots and broccoli florets; bamboo shoots, ginger and thin beef slices; or shrimp with pea pods and red chile flakes.

Irresistible ramen

Although ramen soup has its origins in China, long ago it found an eager home in Japan, where it has established itself as popular fast food. The soup typically begins with a stock of chicken or pork, which can be customized with a wide variety of traditional ingredients, such as kombu, katsuobushi, niboshi, mushrooms, onions, miso and/or soy sauce. The popularity of ramen has driven chefs to continually experiment with different ingredients and techniques. In Japan, ramen chefs closely guard their soup secrets and work for years to perfect their flavor marriages.

Ramen soups have traditionally been grouped into four general categories:

• Shio ramen is a clear, almost transparent, basic chicken broth, seasoned with salt;
• Tonkotsu ramen, with its typically cloudy, white appearance and thick consistency, is made with crushed, boiled pork bones and frequently served with pickled ginger;
• Shoyu ramen begins with basic, clear stock made from chicken and vegetables, with added soy souce and sometimes black pepper;
• Miso ramen, which originated in Sapporo, has a chicken broth with added miso, and is sometimes topped with sweet corn and butter.

Ramen noodles are typically made from four simple ingredients: wheat flour, salt, water and kansui, a type of mineral water that contains sodium carbonate and potassium carbonate, and sometimes phosphoric acid—a mineral mix that mimics the typical composition of well water in certain areas of ancient China. The kansui contributes a yellowish hue to the noodles and helps give them a firmer texture. Some manufacturers substitute egg ingredients for kansui.

Ramen soups are frequently topped with additional ingredients to further customize the flavor. Common toppings vary by region and include negi (leek), shinachiku (seasoned bamboo shoots), nori (dried seaweed), grilled pork (chashu), yakibuta (pork ham) and boiled egg.

Core Chinese options

China’s traditional soups have much to offer in the way of flavor. Two major types of soups form the basis of China’s offerings to soup culture: thin, broth-based types cooked quickly, and thicker versions that take a longer simmer, often with tapioca or corn starch added to contribute to the viscosity. Chicken stock is often made in two distinct ways, either with whole chickens or just with the bones. While thinner, broth-based soups often start a meal, thicker types work well when served as a one-dish meal for lunch, and sometimes dinner. Thicker soups are more common to Cantonese cuisine. Some highlights include:

• Hot and sour soup is based on chicken broth and can include pork, tofu, bamboo shoots, mushrooms, dried lily buds and dried red chiles, among other ingredients, often garnished with chopped green onions;
• Egg drop soup includes beaten eggs and chicken broth, spiced with salt and pepper, and is finished with trickles of scrambled egg that cook in the hot soup;
• Ban mian is a broth-based soup with flat egg noodles, beef and a generous serving of vegetables, including spinach and mushrooms, with added crispy, fried anchovies;
• Winter melon soup, a common Cantonese type, features winter melon (Benincasa hispida), chicken broth, mushrooms, ginger and ham, garnished with green onions.

The pho phenomenon

Pho, the classic Vietnamese noodle soup, has developed quite a following in the United States in recent years. It lets the diner “have it their way” with added garnishes. The soup typically begins with a fragrant beef-based broth seasoned with cinnamon, star anise and a pungent fermented fish sauce (nuoc mam). Rice noodles are cooked briefly in boiling water and then placed in individual serving bowls. Hot broth is poured over each bowl of noodles, and garnishes—fresh cilantro, ground roasted peanuts, chile vinegar sauce, fried shallots, fresh bean sprouts and pickled cabbage, to name a few—are added at the table according to personal preference. This results in an amazingly individualized sensory experience featuring steaming broth commingled with the added spicy, sour, sweet and savory touches. Each bite can be different, as well, since the consumer can continue to tinker with the garnishes, adding and stirring in as they eat.

Pho would work well in a commercial foodservice or casual-chain restaurant setting, since sharing this type of experience with friends, coworkers or family increases the “interactive entertainment” factor. However, this soup would also be welcome in a busy household. As the broth is kept covered and simmering in a slow cooker, each family member could grab a bowl and fill it with the amount of noodles desired and choose garnishes. After ladling hot broth on top, it would basically be an “instant” hot meal full of everyone’s favorite things. Each family member gets to eat what he or she wants, and mom doesn’t get stuck making individual meals that cater to all of their particular preferences.

Indian options

India’s cuisine varies widely according to geography. India is renowned for its curries, wide-ranging spiced and sauced mixtures of meats and/or vegetables, that, although not eaten as soups, can serve as inspiration for the product designer. Probably the most famous flavor combination is the spice mixture garam masala, a shifting recipe that usually consists of cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, cumin, coriander and black pepper, and sometimes nutmeg, mace or bay leaves.

India boasts several soups that could quickly find a wider audience in the United States. Rasam, a South Indian soup, is made from tamarind juice, tomato juice and spices like pepper. Like Japanese ramen soup, many varieties of rasam exist, including versions with pineapple, lime, ginger or garlic. It generally contains lentils (dal) and it is often mixed with rice.

Rasam was also the basis for mulligatawny soup, a complex mixture based on chicken stock. Mulligatawny can include a number of different vegetables, including potatoes, carrots, celery, eggplant, onion, corn and red peppers, as well as pistachios or cashews. The spices in this soup can include curry powder (a complex mixture that can include varying spices, including cardamom, dried chile powder, cinnamon, cloves, coriander, cumin, fennel seed, fenugreek, mace, nutmeg, red and black pepper, poppy and sesame seeds, saffron, tamarind, and turmeric), black pepper, thyme, bay leaf, marjoram and nutmeg. Substituting vegetable broth for chicken stock makes this soup a possibility for vegetarians.

India is home to a wide range of vegetarian options, including sabzi soup. This cream-based soup includes a number of finely chopped vegetables, such as potatoes, carrots, beans and onion. Far north in India, you can find thukpa, a clear ginger and garlic soup with noodles often with chicken broth—although other meats are used—and vegetables, that hails from Tibet and Nepal.

A taste of Thailand

Thai food often combines the elements of several tastes—including spicy, sweet, sour and salty—into one dish. Fresh herbal notes also help define Thai foods, along with a small dose of nampla, a pungent fish sauce that makes its way into many of the country’s traditional dishes. Two classic Thai soups are:

• Tom yum goong, a sour and spicy lemongrass and shrimp water-based soup that also includes flavor notes from galangal, kaffir lime, tamarind, fish sauce and hot Thai chiles;
• Tom kha kai, based on coconut milk with chicken, galangal, lemongrass, kaffir lime, fish sauce and Thai chiles.

Galangal, a common ingredient in Thai soups, grows throughout Southeast Asia, and has a hot, peppery flavor not unlike ginger, which can sometimes substitute for it in a pinch. Thai chiles, another common ingredient across the board in Thailand, have a fiery heat that isn’t diminished with cooking.

Simmering opportunities

Many of the staples traditionally used in Asian soups can frequently be substituted by soup bases, individually quick-frozen vegetables and herb blends and other ingredients. These products can help cut production time and deliver standardized flavor profiles. Pre-blended spices—either standard blends or customized products—are also options for product designers looking to expand into formulating Asian soups. Processing and ingredient technologies have helped enable creation of a wide range of soup products—from shelf-stable to refrigerated and frozen products.

A wider range of available Asian soups at retail and foodservice could prove profitable in the coming months and years. The Asian continent provides many excellent examples of soups that might appeal to the American consumer, particularly in light of the increasingly adventurous climate of food these days. Asian cuisines continue to rank among the top ethnic foods preferred by Americans.

Several Asian soups also lend themselves to vegetarian and vegan versions, which could capitalize on the increasing market share of this segment of the population, including so-called “flexitarians,” omnivores who periodically opt for vegetarian foods for various reasons, including health.

Collectively, these make a case for exploring more Asian soups.

Asian Fusion Soups

Asian soups can sometimes find a wider audience in the United States by fusing traditional flavors with American ingredients and/or soup formats. Curried Cream of Turkey Soup, created by Bruce Klug, chef-owner of Klug’s Creekside Inn, Cedarburg, WI, is an updated variation on a favorite Indian cream soup.

Curried Cream of Turkey Soup

1 lb. unsalted butter 
2 cups diced sweet onion 
3 cups diced celery 
1 teaspoon minced fresh garlic 
3 cups all-purpose flour 
3 gal. cold water 
8 oz. turkey base 
3 lbs. cooked turkey, diced 
1 qt. cooked white rice 
4 to 5 tablespoons curry powder 
2 tablespoons salt 
1 tablespoon white pepper 
1 qt. heavy cream

Another Asian-inspired fusion is Szechuan Turkey Chili—created by Larry Weiss, CCC, CEC, chef instructor, Western Suffolk Board of Cooperative Education Services, Huntington, NY—an aromatic blend of Asian spices, fresh vegetables, rice, beans and ground turkey.

Szechuan Turkey Chili

1½ lbs. ground turkey 
1 teaspoon canola oil 
½ cup red bell pepper, diced 
½ cup green bell pepper, diced 
1 cup yellow onion, diced 
1 tablespoon garlic, minced 
1 tablespoon fresh gingerroot, peeled and minced 
½ cup reduced sodium soy sauce 
1 15-oz. can diced tomatoes 
1 15-oz. can kidney beans, drained 
8 oz. tomato sauce 
½ teaspoon five spice powder 
1 teaspoon ground black pepper 
2 tablespoons chili powder 
1 teaspoon wasabi powder 
2 tablespoons Asian chili paste 
1 teaspoon salt 
1 tablespoon sesame oil 
8 cups sticky rice, cooked 
2 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted