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There’s nothing more comforting than a good bowl of hot soup
If you’re feeling under the weather or just miss soups you had growing up, now’s the best time to make your own.
Image via GIPHY
Here are a variety of hearty soups you can make at home to warm your tummy:
1. ABC soup
This soup would probably bring you back in time, especially on those sick days. The potatoes and carrots soaked in the broth make this total comfort food. Plus, it really is quite simple to make!
Pair it with rice or just have it on its own. Or throw in some chili padi with light soya sauce for an extra ‘oomph’.
Image via The Meatmen Channel/YouTube
Ingredients
– 454g bone-in chicken pieces
– 3 medium potatoes
– 4 cups water
– 1 large carrot, cut into 1″ pieces
– 1 tomato, quartered
– 1 medium onion, peeled and thickly sliced
– 1 teaspoon crushed peppercorn
– Salt
Directions
1. Put chicken pieces into a pot and cover them with water. Bring to a boil.
2. Pour away the water and rinse the chicken to remove impurities.
3. Peel potatoes and cut into 1″ cubes.
4. Fill a pot with 4 cups of water and boil the chicken inside over medium heat.
5. Add the carrot, tomato, onion, and peppercorn. Simmer on low heat for two hours.
6. Add the potatoes 30 minutes before the soup is ready and add salt for taste.
Recipe source: The Spruce Eats
2. Chicken, corn, and egg drop soup
You can’t go wrong with a bowl of this chicken and corn soup on a rainy day… or any day for that matter. This recipe combines egg drop soup with corn soup for extra comfort. The texture of the egg and corn kernels mixed in a thick, creamy broth will definitely leave you wanting seconds.
Image via Cooking For My Soul
Ingredients
– Ground chicken
– Grated ginger
– Minced garlic
– 4 to 5 cups of chicken broth
– Canned corn kernels (Fresh or frozen works too)
– Corn starch
– Water
– Eggs
– Sesame oil
– Salt
– Pepper
– Scallions (garnish)
Directions
1. Brown and cook the chicken along with the ginger and garlic.
2. Add the chicken broth and corn.
3. Dissolve the corn starch with water, and add it to the soup. Let it simmer for 10 minutes until it’s thickened.
4. Beat eggs in a separate bowl, and add them to the soup. Then swirl them with a spoon for texture. Add more broth if needed.
5. Add salt, pepper, and sesame oil to taste. Then garnish with scallions if you like.
Recipe source: Cooking For My Soul
3. Cabbage soup
If you’re looking for something that’s quick to make but really yummy, this recipe is perfect. All you need is just three or four main ingredients. Simple and homey.
Image via Shan’s Recipes
Ingredients
– Half a Chinese cabbage cut into slices
– 1 chicken bone
– Half a carrot cut into thin slices or cubes
– 1/4 beancurd cut into cubes
– 2 tablespoons of light soya sauce
Directions
1. Boil chicken bone for a few minutes and drain it.
2. Put chicken bone into a pot filled with approximately 4 to 5 cups of water.
3. Add cabbage and carrot into the pot.
4. Boil it for 30 minutes and turn the heat down for at least another 20 minutes.
5. Add the beancurd and boil for another 10 minutes.
6. Add light soya sauce to taste.
Recipe source: Shan’s Recipes
4. Pork ribs lotus root and peanut soup
The crunch of the lotus root paired with the boiled peanuts is probably some of the main highlights of this soup. You can even do away with the pork ribs for a meatless version or substitute it with chicken if you prefer that. This recipe is pretty straightforward too. It’s mainly just throwing everything into a pot and letting it boil.
Image via Asian Inspirations
Ingredients
– 500g lotus root (washed, peeled, and cut crosswise into 1cm slices)
– 500g pork ribs (cut into 4-5cm pieces)
– 1/2 cup raw peanuts
– 1 piece dried cuttlefish (rinsed and patted dry)
– 2 carrots (cut into 3-4cm pieces)
– 6 to 8 dried red dates
– 2.5L water
Directions
1. Blanch the pork in boiling water for five minutes, then remove from the water. Clean off any impurities and set aside.
2. Put in all the ingredients into a pot and add water. Make sure the water covers all the ingredients by 4cm to 5cm.
3. Bring it to a boil on medium-high heat, then reduce heat to low and allow to simmer for about 3 hours or until the pork is tender.
4. Season with salt and serve.
Recipe source: Asian Inspirations
5. Watercress and pork ribs soup
Watercress soup is always a great soup if you’re needing vegetables and don’t want to cook an entirely separate dish. Not only is it tasty, but the watercress itself is filled with lots of health benefits.
Image via The Woks Of Life
Ingredients
– 680g pork ribs
– 5 slices of ginger, smashed
– 8 cups water
– 1 to 2 bunches of watercress
– 1¼ teaspoon sea salt (or to taste)
– White pepper
Directions
1. Fill a large pot half-full of water and bring to a boil. Add pork ribs. Allow it to blanch for 3 to 5 minutes. Remove the ribs and rinse in water. This step is important because it keeps the soup clear and clean-tasting.
2. Put the blanched pork ribs, smashed ginger slices, and 8 cups of water in a pot and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down and allow to simmer for 90 minutes, covered.
3. Trim off the large, tough stems on the watercress and wash thoroughly.
4. After 90 minutes, season soup with salt to taste. And let it simmer for another 30 minutes.
5. Use a strainer to remove any floating particles. Add in the watercress and continue to let it simmer.
6. Add in more salt and white pepper to taste if needed.
Recipe source: The Woks Of Life
6. Pumpkin soup
The creamier the pumpkin soup, the more comforting it is! Pair this with bread and butter or garlic bread for a fuller meal. If you don’t have cream, this recipe states that you can replace it with milk.
Image via RecipeTin Eats
Ingredients
– 1.2kg peeled pumpkin
– 1 onion, sliced (white, brown, yellow)
– 2 garlic cloves, peeled
– 3 cups (750ml) vegetable or chicken broth/stock
– 1 cup (250 ml) water
– Salt
– Pepper
– 1/2 to 3/4 cup (125ml to 185 ml) heavy whipping cream or milk
Directions
1. Place peeled pumpkin, onion, garlic, broth/stock, and water into a pot.
2. Boil rapidly for 15 minutes until pumpkin is tender.
3. Use a hand blender or transfer to any blender to blitz smooth.
4. Adjust salt and pepper to taste, then add either milk or cream – whichever you prefer.
Recipe source: RecipeTin Eats
7. Miso soup
Whether or not you grew up on miso soup, this is the perfect comfort food at any time of day. You can enjoy it on its own, have it with rice, or even throw in some noodles (like bihun or ramen) and turn it into a fuller meal.
Image via Rasa Malaysia
Ingredients
– 1 cup dashi soup base (made from boiling kelp and bonito flakes). Some recipes say that you can also use chicken or vegetable broth as a substitute.
– 1 tablespoon miso paste
– 1 teaspoon wakame (dried seaweed)
– Silken tofu
– Chopped scallions
Directions
1. In a pot, boil the dashi base on medium heat.
2. Add the tofu and seaweed, cook for 3 minutes.
3. Turn off the heat.
4. Add the miso paste until dissolved. Do not boil the miso paste.
5. Top the soup with scallions.
Recipe source: Rasa Malaysia
8. Winter melon soup
This recipe makes a clean-tasting yet flavourful soup that is great for those sick days. If you don’t have pork ribs, you can replace it with chicken or minced meat as well.
Image via The Chinese Quest
Ingredients
– 500g winter melon
– 1/2 cup of Chinese pearl barley (coix seeds)
– 150g prime pork ribs
– 1 tablespoon goji berries
– 2 slices ginger
– 1L water
Directions
1. Wash the barley and soak for about 1 hour.
2. Wash goji and soak for 20 minutes.
3. Parboil the pork ribs with the ginger, trim off any excess fats.
4. Cut and clean the melon.
5. Bring the 1000ml water to the boil, add the pork ribs, melon pieces, barley, and the goji.
6. Bring the water and ingredients back to the boil, then lower to a simmer.
7. Simmer for 1 hour.
8. Turn off heat and serve.
Recipe source: The Chinese Quest
9. Hot and sour soup
Rainy day or not, this thick broth will bring instant comfort with its sour goodness and kick of spice. Plus, you don’t even need meat for flavour. Just throw in any kind of mushrooms you like. Yum!
Image via Rasa Malaysia
Ingredients
– 2 tablespoons corn starch + 3 tablespoons water
– 1 can (411g) chicken broth (preferred) or vegetable broth
– 1 1/2 cups water
– 226g soft tofu, cut into strips
– 170g white button mushroom, stems trimmed and caps quartered
– 3 tablespoons soy sauce
– 2 1/2 tablespoons Chinese vinegar, apple cider vinegar, or rice wine vinegar
– 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce (for colour)
– 3 dashes ground white pepper or black pepper
– 1 egg, beaten
– 1 teaspoon chili oil and 1 tablespoon chopped scallion (optional)
Directions
1. Add the corn starch and water together, stir to combine well. Set aside.
2. Add the chicken or vegetable broth and water to a medium-sized soup pot on medium heat. Bring it to boil. Add the tofu and white button mushrooms, cook for 2 minutes. Add the soy sauce, vinegar, dark soy sauce, and black pepper. Stir to combine well.
3. Then, add in the corn starch mixture and stir continuously to thicken the soup. Turn off the heat.
4. Swirl the beaten egg into the soup, count to 10, and then use a pair of chopsticks to stir in a clockwise direction. This will form the silken egg threads in the soup. Add the chili oil and chopped scallions, if using.
Recipe source: Rasa Malaysia