Manchow Soup
This hot n’ spicy vegetable soup is a favorite on Indo-Chinese restaurant menus. Although Manchow Soup tastes distinctly Chinese, it has its origins not in China, but in the north eastern state of Meghalaya in India.
Naturally vegan, Manchow soup is loaded with vegetables and is one of the tastiest ways to get all your veggie intake for the day in just one sitting! It's also filling enough to make a light one pot meal for the entire family - you’ll need multiple helpings of course!
Once the veggies are chopped and prepped, it comes together in the matter of minutes. The aromatics ginger, garlic & chili make the flavorful pungent base, soy sauce brings the umami, vinegar adds the zing and all of these combined with the veggies & water make a nutrition packed savory broth that is thickened into the desired consistency with arrowroot powder.
This delicious soup is typically served with a generous topping of crispy fried noodles that add an interesting layer of texture to it. But we are going to ditch the fried noodles in favor of tortilla chips for this recipe. It’s quicker and works just as well.
When making with/for kids, depending on your tolerance for spicy food, use half or one chili. Or omit the chili altogether and add a little hot sauce to individual helpings. Ginger and garlic also add pungency, but in my experience, kids like the soup even if it is a little ‘spicy’. Tortilla chips work well to balance things out. Experiment and see what works for your family.
The quantities listed for veggies are an approximation. This soup is on regular rotation in my kitchen and I usually make it on Sundays, my farmer’s market day, when I can shop for all the fresh ingredients from one place. For Manchow Soup, we will need -
Mushrooms: I love the meaty texture of fresh ugly shiitake mushrooms in here. But cremini or button mushrooms work well too.
Scallions: Did you know that scallions or green onions are more nutritious than other alliums? The green leaves have more nutrients than the white part of the scallion. Here we use both, the white and the green parts.
Carrot: I like the orange speckled look that shredded carrot gives to this soup. This is the only one we are shredding. Everything else is being finely chopped.
Cabbage: Use green or purple cabbage. I’ve used purple cabbage today and I like the color pop, but in terms of taste, it doesn’t matter.
Bell Pepper: Again, any color will do. Try and buy organic bell peppers as far as possible.
Green Beans: String the green beans before chopping them. To remove the ‘string’ on the sides, trim and twist just the smallest piece of each tip such that it stays connected to the string - the long fiber that runs down each side of the bean. Gently pull that string down until you reach the other end, and it’ll detach. Repeat on the other end working in the opposite direction. These days string-less beans are also available in the supermarkets. In that case you just need to trim the ends off.
Manchow Soup
Makes 6 servings
Ingredients:
I cup finely diced fresh shiitake or cremini mushroom
1/2 cup finely chopped scallion white & light green parts only (~6 nos), save greens
1/2 cup grated carrot
2/3 cup finely chopped cabbage
1/2 cup finely diced bell pepper
1/2 cup finely chopped green beans
3 plump cloves garlic, minced (about 2 tsp)
1 inch ginger, grated (about 2 tsp)
1 or 2 Thai chili, red or green, finely chopped
3 tbsp soy sauce OR tamari
1.5 tbsp avocado oil
6 tbsp arrowroot powder OR cornstarch + 1/3 cup water
6 cups filtered water
2 tsp rice vinegar
1/4 tsp pepper
Salt to taste (~ 1 tsp - depending on the sodium content of your soy sauce)
Spring onion greens, chopped into 1 cm pieces
Chopped cilantro for garnish (option)
Tortilla Chips for topping (optional)
Preparation:
Chop and prep all the vegetables.
Mix the arrowroot powder and 1/3 cup water to make a slurry. Keep it aside.
Heat oil in a large saucepan on medium high heat. Add ginger, garlic and chilies and cook stirring continuously for 30-45 secs.
Add the chopped mushroom and scallion whites and stir fry them until they become soft, about 3 mins.
Add the green beans and cook for another minute or so.
Add the cabbage, bell pepper and shredded carrots and cook for 3-4 mins. Give it a few stirs as the veggies cook together.
Then stir in the pepper and soy sauce.
Add the 6 cups of water and bring it up to a simmer.
Give the arrowroot slurry a stir to re-incorporate the arrowroot powder that would have settled down at the bottom, and add it to the saucepan. The soup will thicken and take on a glossy look. Let it simmer on medium heat for a couple of minutes. Turn off the stove.
Stir in the rice vinegar and ½ tsp salt. Add spring onion greens & cilantro.
Taste and adjust for seasoning.
Serve hot with tortilla chips.
Notes:
The amount of salt in this recipe will depend on the saltiness of your soy sauce. I’ve used low sodium tamari here and needed to add 1 tsp of Himalayan pink salt. Start by adding very little salt. Taste and add more salt or soy sauce as per your preference.
Arrowroot powder or cornstarch thicken the soup. If you prefer your soup to have a thicker consistency, use additional arrowroot powder. Always use these thickeners as a slurry, mixed with equal amounts of room temperature water. Adding them in powder form directly to hot liquid will result in lumps.
I prefer using Arrowroot powder as a healthier alternative to cornstarch to thicken my sauces. It is gluten free, tasteless, odorless and gives a nice glossy finish. It promotes digestive health and has many other health benefits.
To make this soup GLUTEN FREE, use tamari and arrowroot powder.
Get the kids cooking:
The kids can stay involved with this dish from the start to finish. Things move along very quickly and there isn’t a moment to get bored or distracted.
The main time consuming part here is the chopping and prepping of vegetables. It is also the activity that kids enjoy the most! Let the kids help with collecting the ingredients for the recipe from the fridge and pantry. Assist them with washing the vegetables and wiping down the mushrooms with a clean kitchen towel. Show them how to chop the vegetables. This is a great opportunity for them to really feel the ingredients and get familiar with the different smells, textures & even tastes.
Depending on your child’s age, you can ‘help’ speed things along here, or settle down with a drink and relax while your first course is prepped. :-) The chilies definitely need to be handled by an adult only.
My son loves the aroma that fills the kitchen as soon as the aromatics hit the pan. Kids can add the vegetables to the pan and do the very ‘important job’ of stirring them around.
Entrust them with portioning out the tortilla chips for everyone as you ladle the soup into bowls for the family.
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Did you make this recipe? Please let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below and share a picture on instagram and tag it with the hashtag #nibblengobble.
