Asian soup
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Asian soups are soups traditionally prepared and consumed by East Asian persons. Such soups are usually based solely on broths and lacking in dairy products such as milk or cream. Thickening for the soups usually consists of refined starches from corn, sweet potato, lotus seed, or arrowroot. The quality of a savoury soup is determined mainly by its fragrance and umami or "xian" flavor, as well as, to a lesser extent, its mouthfeel. Sweet soups such as tong sui are enjoyed for their aroma , mouthfeel, and aftertaste. Many soups were eaten and drunk as much for their flavour as for their health benefits and touted for their purported revitalizing or invigorating effects.
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[edit] Soup bases
Since many Asian soups are eaten as one of the main dishes in a meal or in some cases served straight with little adornment, particular attention is paid to the soups' stocks. In the case of some soups, the stock ingredients become part of the soup.
[edit] Chinese
There are three basic traditional soup stocks in Chinese cuisine:
- White broth (白湯): Lightly blanched pork bones that have been boiled for several hours, creating a white milky broth. This broth has a rich mouthfeel, and is often used in ramen soups.
- Shandong broth (山東湯): A dark tan broth made from Jinhua ham and chicken. This rich and umami broth is used in the creation of many expensive soups such as shark fin soup.
- Chicken (雞湯): The basic broth used in creating most Chinese soups. The basic broth is sometimes fortified with licorice root, wolfberry, and other Chinese herbs
[edit] Japanese
Collectively know as dashi, most Japanese soup bases are flavored primarily with kombu (kelp) and katsuobushi (skipjack tuna).
- Kelp: Kelp (kombu) is soaked in lukewarm water or simmered to yield a light broth.
- Skipjack tuna: Shavings from dried skipjack tuna (katsuobushi, sometimes erroneously called bonito) are boiled to release the umami flavours of the shavings.
- Mixed: Most dashi is made by making kelp broth and then adding skipjack tuna to that broth. Mirin is occasionally added to the broth to further enhance the taste of the broth.
[edit] Types
- Egg drop soup is a light Chinese soup.
- Ginseng soup is very popular in China and Korea; Ginseng-stuffed chicken in broth is considered as a Korean national dish.
- Hot pot is a communal soup of meat, seafood, and vegetables dipped and cooked in hot broth on the tabletop.
- Miso soup is a light broth containing miso. It is usually served at breakfast in Japan and sometimes includes tofu, mushrooms, seaweed, or green onions.
- Shark fin soup is a Chinese soup made with shark's fin that is often served in banquets.
The Asian soup noodle is a large portion of long noodles served in a bowl of broth. Compare to the western noodle soup, which is more of a soup with small noodle pieces. The former dish is dominated by the carbohydrate while the latter dish is dominated by the soup liquid.
- Phở is a Vietnamese staple noodle soup
- Ramen is a Japanese noodle soup that comes in several varieties
- Saimin is Hawaiian fresh, soft, undried egg noodles in bonito fish or shrimp broth with Chinese, Japanese, Filipino, Hawaiian, Korean and Portuguese influences
- Thukpa is Tibetan noodle soup, that is more or less the staple (along with butter tea and tsampa)
- Udon soup has thick, soft noodles in a light broth. There are many varieties with different noodles and toppings.
