Soups in East Asian culture

Soups in East Asian cultureare eaten as one of the many 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. They are usually based solely onbrothsand lacking in dairy products such asmilkorcream. If thickened, the thickening usually consists of refined starches fromcornorsweet potatoes.
Asian soups are generally categorized as either savoury or sweet.The quality of a savoury soup is determined mainly by its fragrance andumamior "xian" flavour, as well as, to a lesser extent, its mouthfeel.Sweet soups such astong suiare enjoyed for their aroma,mouthfeel, andaftertaste.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.
In Chinese language,noodle soupsare generally considered a noodle dish instead of a soup, as evidenced by the fact that they are called "soup noodles" (湯麵), with 'soup' being an adjective, in contrast with "dry noodles" (乾麵).
Many soups are consumed as a partial restorative and heavily linked with theories fromtraditional Chinese medicine. Exotic rarities liketiger penis soupfall in this category. There are many varieties of such tonic soups, ranging from pungent to light in flavour, and from savoury to sweet.Some soups of the same name may consist of different recipes due to regional preferences or differences. Such soups commonly contain one or more meats (typically pork or chicken), vegetables, and medicinal herbs.
There are several basic traditional soup stocks inChinese cuisine:
Ingredients used in making Chinese stocks can be recooked again to produce a thinner broth with less intense flavours, known asertang(二汤;二湯;èr tāng; 'second soup').
Collectively known asdashi, most Japanese soup bases are flavoured primarily withkombu(kelp) andshavings from dried skipjack tuna(katsuobushi). They are soaked or simmered to release the umami flavours of the shavings, and the resulting broth is strained.Mirinis occasionally added to the broth to further enhance the taste of the broth.
Korean broth is collectively known asyuksu(K:육수T:肉水). Although the literal definition is meaty water,yuksucan be used to include broth made by vegetable equivalent. Each kinds of broth will be used for diverse range of Korean soup.
InIndonesian cuisine, there are numbers of traditional soup-bases to createkuah(soup or stock); either acquired from vegetables, spices, meat or bones.
The soup bases are used to cook a large variety of soups
InAmerican-Chinese restaurantssome of the most popular soups are:egg drop soup,hot and sour soup,wonton soup, and chicken with corn soup.
Indonesian soups are known to be flavoursome with generous amount ofbumbuspice mixture. Indonesian cuisine has a diverse variety of soups.Some Indonesian soups may be served as a separate whole meal,while others are lighter.
Generally Indonesian soups and stews are grouped into three major groups with numbers of variants in between.
Vietnamese cuisinefeatures two basic categories of soup: noodle soups and broths (Vietnamese:canh).
Noodle soups are enjoyed for both breakfast and dinner. Popular noodle soups includephở,rice vermicelli(bún bò Huế,bún mọc,bún ốc,Bún riêucua,bún suông, etc.),mì(mì QuảnginQuảng Nam Province),bánh canh,bánh đa cua(inHai Phongprovince),nui, andhủ tiếu.
Broths are thin and generally made from vegetables and spices. They are typically eaten over steamed rice in ordinary lunches and dinners. Common broths includecanh chua rau đayandcanh chua cá lóc.
Hot pot(lẩu) is a popular traditional soup in Vietnam. Mushroom hot pot was popularized by the Ashima Restaurant chain in Vietnam.
A thick, sweet, porridge-like soup calledchèis eaten as a snack.
The most commonly used herbs, which are believed to be mildly invigorating, restorative, or immune-stimulating in nature, include wild yam (Dioscorea polystachya),Astragalus membranaceus,Codonopsis pilosula,Angelica sinensis,wolfberry, andjujube.Ginsengandlingzhiare used less frequently, due to their comparatively higher price.
Many specific recipes for tonic soups using other herbs exist. Some of the best-known are:
The Asian soup noodle is a large portion of long noodles served in a bowl of broth. In comparison, western noodle soup 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.