Asian soup

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Asian soups are soups traditionally prepared and consumed in the cultures of East Asia. 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 or sweet potatoes.

Asian soups are generally categorized as either savoury or sweet. 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 are eaten and drunk as much for their flavour as for their health benefits and touted for their purported revitalizing or invigorating effects.

Contents 1 Soup bases 1.1 Chinese 1.2 Japanese 1.3 Korean 2 Medicinal soups 3 Types

[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): Made from 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 known 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] Korean

• Seolleongtang is a milky white thin soup made from slowly boiled ox tail and bones. It is believed to have restorative qualities.

[edit] Medicinal soups

Many Asian soups are consumed as a partial restorative and heavily linked with theories from traditional Chinese medicine. There are many types of soups, ranging from pungent to light in flavour, and from savoury to sweet[1]. Some soups of the same name may consist of different recipes due to regional preferences or differences.

• Siwu tang (四物湯):[2]
• Sishen tang (四神湯): Usually cooked with slivered pork stomach and known as "Sishen zhudu tang" (四神豬肚湯; literally "four god pig stomach soup")[3]
• Luiwei tang (六味湯): A sweet soup used for clearing "heat". 荊芥、防風、桔梗、甘草、僵蠶、薄荷[4], or 黃芪、白術、防風、銀花、貫眾、陳皮[5] or 木鳖子(制), 诃 子, 甘草, 白豆蔻, 大米(微炒)[6]
• Bazhen tang (八珍湯): When cooked with beaten egg, it is called "Bazhen danhua tang" (八珍蛋花湯; literally "eight treasure egg drop soup")[7]
• Shiquen tang (十全湯): More often known by its full name "Shiquen dabu tang" (十全大補湯; literally "complete/wholesome great restorative soup")

[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.
• Steamboat 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. Its broth is made from boiling beef bones, ginger, and sweet spices (star anise, cinnamon, and cloves) over many hours.
• Ramen is a Japanese noodle soup that comes in several varieties
• 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.