🇮🇳 India · Indian Chinese (Hakka) cuisine, Kolkata; origin disputed
Manchow soupIndo-Chinese spicy vegetable soup
An Indian Chinese soup of finely chopped vegetables or chicken in a soy, garlic, ginger and green chilli broth, thickened with cornflour and topped with crisp fried noodles.
Origin and history
Manchow, also written Manchu, is a soup of Indian Chinese cuisine, the cuisine that Chinese immigrants (notably the Hakka of Kolkata) developed for Indian tastes. The soup came after the popularity of dishes such as Chicken Manchurian, which Gulf News attributes to the Kolkata-born cook Nelson Wang in 1975; the soup's exact origin is not documented. Its name is not tied to Manchuria in any way the sources can show.
Make it at home
- Makes
- 4 servings
- Total time
- 35 min
- Hands-on
- 30 min
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp neutral oil, plus oil for frying the noodles
- 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 2 cm1 inch fresh ginger, finely chopped
- 2 green chillies, finely chopped
- 2 spring onions, whites and greens separated, chopped
- 100 g1 cup cabbage, finely shredded
- 1 carrot, finely chopped
- 50 g1/3 cup French beans, finely chopped
- 1 litre4 cups vegetable stock or water, chicken stock for the chicken version
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp vinegar
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 2 tbsp cornflour (cornstarch), mixed with 60 ml (1/4 cup) cold water
- 50 g2 oz thin egg noodles, boiled, dried well and deep-fried until crisp, for topping
- salt, to taste
Method
-
1. Boil the noodles until just cooked, drain and dry them completely. Fry in 180 C (355 F) oil in small batches until golden and crisp, then drain on paper.
-
2. Heat 3 tbsp oil in a wok over high heat. Add the garlic, ginger, chillies and spring onion whites and stir for 30 seconds without browning.
-
3. Add the cabbage, carrot and beans and stir-fry on high heat for 2 to 3 minutes, so the vegetables stay crisp.
-
4. Pour in the stock, soy sauce and vinegar, season with salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Simmer for 5 minutes.
-
5. Stir the cornflour mixture, pour it in a thin stream while stirring, and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes until the soup turns glossy and slightly thick.
-
6. Taste, adjust the soy, vinegar and pepper (it should be hot, sharp and savoury), then ladle into bowls, scatter spring onion greens and a handful of crisp noodles and serve immediately.
Notes
- Manchow is Indian Chinese (Hakka-style) cooking, with no counterpart in China. Its origin is disputed: the sources link Indian Chinese cooking to the Hakka Chinese community of Kolkata, while Gulf News says no one knows the complete origin story of this soup and that its name probably comes from Manchuria though it does not resemble Manchurian food.
- The crisp fried noodles go on at the table; they soften within a couple of minutes, so add them last.
- Chicken manchow: use chicken stock and add 150 g (5 oz) of finely minced chicken, stirred into the stock until cooked (step 4). Some cooks add an egg beaten in at the end.
- A high flame and a wok give the proper stir-fried flavour; do not overcook the vegetables.
- Packaged crisp noodles (chow mein noodles) can replace frying your own.
Adapted from The curious case of the Indian-Chinese manchow soup, Gulf News and Manchu soup, Cuisine India Society.
At the festivals
No festival we list has printed it on a menu yet.