We often think of soup as a bit of a boring dish. It’s nice as a starter before the main meal but it’s not the most exciting thing in the world. But soup doesn’t have to be the dull, safe option and Asian cuisine has plenty of examples that prove soup can be exciting and delicious. There are some great Asian soup recipes made with simple, fragrant flavors that elevate a simple broth and turn it into something truly special. If you are fed up with boring soups, try out some of these incredible Asian-inspired options. 

Ramen

Ramen noodle soup is probably the best-known Asian soup out there and people love it because it’s so versatile. It consists of egg noodles in a broth, usually made from chicken, pork, or vegetable stock with meat bones, mushrooms, dried fish, and soy sauce. The ingredients in every broth vary, but you will often find these base ingredients. Once you have the base broth and noodles you can add all sorts of things to the ramen, like hard-boiled egg, pork or chicken, dumplings, scallions, and whatever else you like. You can get some great instant ramen noodles from Asian food stores or even from your local supermarket, so the actual soup part takes no time at all. Then, you just need to add your extras and you’ve got a delicious Asian soup without any of the hard work.

Tom Kha Gai

Tom Kha Gai is a Thai soup made with chicken and coconut milk and it’s incredibly popular out there. The name means, chicken soup with galangal, which is an ingredient you may not have heard of, but it’s the thing that makes this dish extra special. Any authentic recipe for Tom Kah soup will use “gangalan” root and although you will have to find an Asian supermarket to get hold of it, it’s worth it. When added to the rich, creamy coconut sauce, it gives an incredible flavor that is unlike anything you have ever tried before. If you are a fan of Thai food, you absolutely have to try making Tom Kha Gai soup. 

Egg Drop Soup 

If you want a quick and easy soup that uses a lot of ingredients that you probably already have, egg drop soup is ideal. It’s a simple broth but you can take it to a new level when you slowly pour eggs into the hot broth at the end, without stirring, so they cook gently in the soup. The result is a delicious broth packed full of fragrant flavors, with some beautifully creamy eggs. A simple egg drop soup recipe only uses chicken broth, ground ginger, soy sauce, and sesame oil, along with the eggs, so you don’t need to worry about finding a specialist supermarket to get your ingredients. 

If you are fed up with boring soup, why not try one of these exciting Asian-inspired soup recipes next time?