Veg Manchow Soup is an Indo-Chinese favorite which is perfect on a cold evening as appetizer or just enjoy as snack right out of your mug!
What is veg manchow soup?
Veg manchow soup is the vegetarian version of the popular Indo- Chinese restaurant classic full of vegetables like carrot, cabbage, mushrooms, green beans etc. My earliest memory of enjoying this soup is going to a restaurant as a broke college student. This was an old Chinese restaurant around the MG Road area. Boy! does that bring back some memories..anyway I stopped going to that restaurant post college and did not get a chance to have this soup for years.
Funnily enough, I sort of got reintroduced when I came across a Knorr ready to drink soup powder! I honestly loved it but I also wanted something that was more fresh and low on sodium. Thats when I decided to try recreating it at home. This version is full of fresh vegetables, soft tofu and of course delicious flavors. The most important thing how simple it is to make the soup and how quickly this soup comes together. It is also perfect for meal prep because if the vegetables are prepped ahead of time, the soup comes together very quickly.
Other delicious soups that you might enjoy
Delicata Squash Soup with Crispy Chickpea Croutons
Tomato Soup with Grilled Cheese
What ingredients do we need?
The full list of ingredients are provided below in the recipe card. The section below lists the
Vegetables - We will need vegetables like carrots, onions, cabbage, mushrooms, green beans, bell pepper and green onions.
Aromatics - We will use both fresh ginger and garlic. Make sure they are finely chopped or grated.
Tofu - I used silken tofu since I like the texture of it in soups and thought it would go really well here. You can of course use any tofu of your choice or skip it entirely. If using silken tofu, I would recommend adding it towards the end of the cooking process to ensure the pieces do not break apart.
Soy Sauce - I used regular soy sauce and also dark soy sauce. If you want to keep the dish gluten-free, then use tamari and skip the dark soy sauce. You can also use coco aminos.
Rice Vinegar - Rice Vinegar adds a hint of acidity and helps balance the flavors of the soup.
White Pepper - As compared to black pepper which tends to taste more hot, white pepper is milder and more floral which goes perfectly with this soup.
Sesame Oil - Preferably use toasted sesame oil
Corn Flour - This is optional. If you want a thicker soup, use a corn flour slurry or just skip if you are okay with a thinner soup.
Noodles - This is again optional. Use any thin eggless noodles to fry and top the soup before serving.
Process for making the veg manchow soup
Cook the vegetables - We will saute the green onions, ginger, garlic, carrots and cabbage with sesame oil for a few minutes.
Add the seasonings - Once the vegetables are sautéed, we will add soy sauce, dark soy sauce, white pepper, red pepper flakes and mix well. Cook for a couple of minutes.
Add the water and vinegar. Mix well. Check for seasoning and add more. Let this mixture come to a simmer and let it continue to cook for another 5 minutes. Add the silken tofu cubes when you have a couple of minutes left. Once done, add more sliced green onions.
Fry some noodles and use it to top the soup along with some sesame oil just before serving.
Tips for storage and reheating
Store in the refrigerate for up to 3 days and reheat on the stove or microwave. I dont recommend freezing this soup since the tofu texture would change. If you plan to freeze for meal prep, then I suggest you dont use any tofu while making the soup. Once you thaw and reheat the soup, then you can add in fresh tofu for best results.
Meal Prep: You can prep all the vegetables and store in the refrigerator for 2 days or frozen for up to 3 months. If you want to prep the soup for freezing, then leave out the tofu as suggested above. Add it in when the soup is reheated before consuming.
Did you try this veg manchow soup? If yes, do let me know what you think by leaving a comment or feedback below. You can also follow along on social media at Facebook, Pinterest and Bluesky.
Recipe
Vegetable Manchow Soup
Equipment
- 1 Medium Sauce Pan
Ingredients
Produce
- 2 Carrots cleaned and finely diced
- ¼ head Cabbage finely chopped
- 5 Button/ Cremini Mushrooms cleaned and finely sliced/diced
- 2 bulbs Green Onions washed and finely sliced
- 4 cloves Fresh Garlic finely chopped or sliced
- 1 inch Fresh Ginger finely chopped
Seasoning
- 4 tablespoon Soy Sauce
- 2 tablespoon Dark Soy Sauce sub with regular soy sauce
- 2 teaspoon Red Chilli Flakes
- 2 teaspoon White Pepper
- 2 tablespoon Rice Vinegar
- Salt to taste
- ½ teaspoon Black Pepper
Other Ingredients
- 2 + 2 tablespoon Sesame Oil
- 16 oz Silken Tofu diced
- 2 tablespoon Corn Flour/Starch
- 5 + ½ cup Water
- ½ cup Eggless Noodles for topping, optional
- 2 tablespoon Neutral Oil for frying noodles for frying, optional
Instructions
- Heat a large sauce pan. Add 2 tablespoon of sesame oil and once hot, add the white parts of the green onions. Saute for 30 seconds and add the carrots and cabbage. Stir fry for 2-3 minutes before adding the mushrooms. Cook for another 2 minutes.
- Add the soy sauce, dark soy sauce, white pepper and red chili flakes. Mix well. Saute for another couple of minutes before adding the water/broth. Add the vinegar and bring this to a simmer. Let this cook for another 3-4 minutes before adding the tofu. Check if needs more seasoning and add more if required.
- Cook for another couple of minutes. Add the remaining green onions and place the soup in bowls. Top with some fried noodles and some sesame oil before serving.
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