Manchow Soup
Recipe: Manchow Soup
Manchow Soup is a popular slightly spicy,tangy soup from the Indo Chinese cuisine. Full of vegetables, the soup is usually topped with deep fried noodles. This soup is excellent when one is down with a flu or sore throat. Up the ginger a bit and it makes a nutritious, soothing soup. The soup appears a bit darkish as a generous amount of soy sauce is used and some tomato ketchup too. Till now, I’ve only had Manchow Soup at the Indo Chinese restaurants. However, they can be a bit stingy when it comes to the amount of deep fried noodles that they give.
Manchow Soup is not a part of the Chinese Cuisine. On the contrary this recipe originates in India. It was cooked by the Chinese community that had settled in Calcutta. Slowly their original cuisine imbibed local ingredients available. The flavours also suited the Indian palate. It is believed that Manchow Soup originates from the state of Meghalaya.
Sharing Manchow Soup Recipe With The Group Sunday Funday
Just as well Wendy suggested the theme Noodles for this weekend. Firstly, Manchow Soup had been on my list forever, to try at home. And also there is no Indo Chinese Restaurant near from where I can order some. Lastly, it is still pretty cold for us. While many parts of the world are into Spring, we still have pretty cold snowy conditions. After making this soup at home, I don’t think I will be ordering some from a restaurant when I visit India.
So why Noodles as the theme? Well, we’re into March and it is the National Noodle Month. When I write National, it usually refers to the US. I wonder who determines all these National days and months.
A Bit More About Noodles
- Did you know that noodles dates back to nearly 4000 years ago with first forms of found in China. The Chinese, Arabs, Italians all claim that they invented noodles.But mention of mian pian is found in the history of China way back in the third century A.D. The word noodles encompasses the noodles as we know from the S.E. Asian countries, to pasta, vermicelli, kataifi, etc. Noodles are mentioned in Greek history, known as Itrium. Usage of noodles slowly spread to Japan and Korea areas in 9th and 14th centuries respectively. It is believed that Macro Polo introduced Italy to noodles but it is mentioned in the Mediterranean region history before the 13th Century.
- Did you know that in the Chines culture noodles is a symbol of longevity. They are usually served for birthdays and weddings.
- Noodles are made from wheat, rice, millets, buckwheat, etc.
- The English word noodles originates from the German word Nudel.
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Ingredients Required For Manchow Soup
Noodles
For this soup it is best to use the instant noodles as you need to boil them and then deep fry the noodles. Instant noodles tend to crisp up faster. Alternately, buy ready made deep fried noodles. After I made this soup, I saw my supermarket sells ready deep fried noodles!
Onion
Peel and chop a red onion finely. We need about ¼ cup.
Spring Onion
One or two stalks are enough. Chop them finely, keeping the white and green parts separate. We will stir fry the white part and use the green part for garnishing.
Ginger
Peel and grate or mince.
Garlic
Peel and mince or finely chopped.
Green Chillis
Can slice the green chillis or mince them. 1-2 chillis are enough. Add according to your taste. Remember the schezwan or chilli sauce we will using is hot too.
Carrot
Peel and chop the carrot finely. We need about ¼ cup.
Cabbage
Shred or finely chop the cabbage. About ½ cup is enough.
Bell Pepper
Any colour of your choice, finely chopped. I have used ¼ cup.
Mushrooms
Wipe them with a damp cloth. Finely chop the mushrooms. Need about ¼ cup. This is an optional ingredient.
Green Beans
Also known as French Beans we need about ¼ cup.
Cauliflower
Separate the cauliflower floret into smaller ones. Or chop the cauliflower finely as we need about ½ cup.
Oil
Use any oil of your choice. I have used a mixture of sunflower and sesame oil. Generally, restaurants don’t use sesame oil. We will need some oil for deep frying the noodles. I used about 1 cup. Also need a little to stir fry the onion, garlic, ginger, chillis and vegetables.
Fresh Coriander
Don’t throw the stalks away. Finely chop them so we can add to the soup during the cooking process. Chop the leaves and keep separately as we will use them for garnishing.
Salt
Add according to your taste. Remember, we need little salt as the amount of soy sauce used is more. Soy sauce generally is a bit salty.
Black Pepper
Coarsely ground. A little more is added for the heat. However, you can add according to your taste.
Soy Sauce
We need about 2 tablespoon soy sauce, preferably the dark variety.
Cornstarch
The soup is not very thick but a little is added to give that slight thickness. Also known as cornflour. Must mix the cornstarch with some water to make a slurry before adding to the hot soup. We will also need extra cornflour or cornstarch to coat the boiled noodles.
Water | Stock
We will be using about 4 cups of water or stock. Personally for this recipe I don’t use stock as I want the flavours of all the ingredients to shine. What I do is that I use the water in which the noodles have been boiled.
Vinegar
While most restaurants use cheap vinegar resulting in a very tangy soup, I prefer to use either rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar. They add a not too strong tangy flavour.
Tomato Ketchup
A little is added for flavour and colour. You can opt to use pureed tomato.
Schezwan Sauce
Or any chilli sauce of your choice. Add according to your taste.
MANCHOW SOUP
Ingredients
FOR THE DEEP FRIED NOODLES
- 150-200 g instant noodle packet
- 5 cups water
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 cup oil
FOR THE MANCHOW SOUP
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- ¼ cup red onion finely chopped
- 1 tbsp garlic finely chopped pr minced
- 1 tbsp ginger minced
- 1 tsp green chilli paste
- 1 stalk spring onion
- 2-3 stalks fresh coriander
- ¼ cup carrot finely chopped
- ¼ cup bell pepper any colour finely chopped
- ¼ cup green beans finely chopped
- ¼ cup mushrooms, optional finely chopped
- ½ cup cabbage shredded
- ½ cup cauliflower finely chopped
- 2 tbsp soy sauce dark
- 2 tbsp tomato ketchup or sauce
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tbsp vinegar
- 1 tbsp chilli sauce
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper powder coarsely ground
Instructions
PREPARE THE NOODLES
- Bring about 5 cups of water to a boil.
- Add ½ tsp salt. Add the noodles to the boiling water.
- Cook as per the instructions on the packet.
- I boiled mine for 3 minutes. Remember you don't want mushy noodles. Should be al dente.
- Keep a colander ready over a big bowl.
- Drain the noodles through the colander.
- The water will trickle down to the bowl underneath.
- Immediately run cold water over the noodles to stop the cooking process.
- Pat dry the noodles on a kitchen towel completely.
- Spread the noodles out on a tray or large plate.
- Let it dry for 10-15 minutes.
- Sprinkle 2 tbsp of cornstarch and gently mix with the noodles to coat them.
- Allow the noodles to rest further for 5-10 minutes.
- In the meantime prepare all the vegetables for the soup.
PREP THE VEGGIES
- Peel and chop the onion finely.
- Peel and chop the carrot finely.
- Chop the cauliflower, bell pepper, green beans, mushrooms finely.
- Grate or shred the cabbage.
- Chop the spring onion, keeping the white and green part separate.
- Finely chop the coriander stalks. Keep it on the side till required.
- Chop the coriander leaves roughly.
- Mix 1 tbsp cornstarch with 2-3 tbsp of water and keep it on the side.
- Mix soy sauce, tomato ketchup, chilli sauce and vinegar.
DEEP FRY THE NOODLES
- Heat about 1 cup oil in a wok or deep saucepan.
- Add a tiny piece of noodle. If it comes up immediately then the oil is hot enough to fry the noodles.
- Add the noodles and deep fry till the turn light golden in colour.
- Remember to keep of flipping the noodles occasionally so that they brown evenly.
- If you have taken a small vessel then cook the noodles in 2 batches. The oil will froth up immediately because of the cornstarch. So take a deep vessel.
- Keep the fried noodles on a kitchen towel so the excess oil is absorbed.
PREPARATION OF THE SOUP
- Heat both the oils in a saucepan over medium heat.
- When the oils become hot, add the chopped onion.
- Add the white part of the spring onion too.
- Stir fry till it becomes a bit soft.
- Add the garlic, stir fry for a minute.
- Add the chopped coriander stalks, ginger and green chilli paste or slices. Stir fry for 30 seconds.
- Add the rest of the chopped vegetables.
- Stir fry on high for 2 minutes.
- Add the soy sauce mixture and 4 cups of the water in which the noodles were boiled.
- Bring the soup to a boil.
- While stirring the soup, add the cornstarch slurry.
- Mix well. Lower the heat and simmer for another 1-2 minutes.
- Don't boil too much as the vegetables should remain crunchy and not over cooked.
- Ladle soup into 4 serving bowls.
- Top it with the deep fried noodles.
- Garnish with coriander leaves and the green part of the spring onion.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
- Add vegetables of your choice. But make sure you chop them finely.
- Don't over cook the vegetables. They such remain a bit raw or crunchy.
- Adjust the chillis and chilli sauce according to your taste.
- Be careful when you add salt. Soy sauce contains salt.
- Can use readymade deep fried noodles.
Pin For Later
A Small Request
If you do try this recipe then please either
- add a comment below,
- send a picture to my email mayuri.ajay.patel62@gmail.com
- tag me as #mayuri_jikoni on Instagram
- or comment on Pinterest @mayuri62
6 Comments
Sid’s Sea Palm Cooking –
March 1, 2026 at 10:50 am
It’s a lot of ingredients, but my mouth started doing a happy dance while looking at it. I’ll be adding this recipe to my make-it recipe list.
mayurisjikoni
March 1, 2026 at 6:39 pm
Thanks Sid, I agree it is a lot of ingredients. But you can always make the soup with what veggies you have at hand. Also sometimes chicken is added.
Stacy
March 1, 2026 at 11:07 am
I find food history absolutely fascinating so thanks for sharing the evolution of this dish with us, Mayuri. It looks and sounds like wonderful, healthy, warming, spicy bowl of comfort food for a chilly day!
mayurisjikoni
March 1, 2026 at 6:38 pm
I too love food history. Manchow Soup is our go to soup during the winter months as it is a little spicy and comforting.
Karen’s Kitchen Stories
March 1, 2026 at 1:28 pm
I love using the instant noodle packets. This soup with the noodles on top sounds fantastic. I need to take a look at all of your other noodle recipes too. Thanks for the history or noodles!
mayurisjikoni
March 1, 2026 at 6:37 pm
Thank you so much Karen. Apparently deep fried noodles are easily available in the supermarkets. Gives the soup recipe a delightful texture.