Step #4 Air Dry them on a sheet
After the noodles are well drained, spread them out onto a baking sheet or piece of parchment paper, and let them dry for half an hour. This helps them fry evenly by eliminating any excess moisture. Plus, when you deep fry the noodles, they won’t splutter as much.
About Manchow Soup
One of the well-liked hot soups from Indo-Chinese cuisine is manchow soup. To make a tasty and nutrient-dense dish, stir-fried vegetables are cooked in a pot of water or stock that has been flavored and enriched with seasonings. The flavors of this manchow soup are perfectly balanced, with a smoky aroma, umami taste, and crunchy vegetables.
Furthermore, the garnish consists of crispy fried noodles that tempt you to eat more rather than just standard ingredients.
Vegetable broth is frequently used to add flavor to vegetarian versions. For a chicken version, sometimes chicken stock is used. However, we can just use water to make a homemade version.
You will love this manchow soup if you have tasted hot and sour soup, which is another favorite dish at Chinese restaurants. Both soups use similar ingredients, but manchow has less sourness and more stir-fried vegetables.
The best part about creating these restaurant-style soups at home is having complete control over the ingredients. If you ignore the fried noodles, this hot soup is packed with nutrients and fresh ingredients.
I’ve simplified this by using staple veggies that are used in most Chinese recipes. Your manchow soup truly gets its wonderful smoky aroma from the technique and the carbon steel wok, not the ingredients.
For the authentic Chinese flavors, I therefore strongly advise using a carbon steel wok. Use a bare cast iron pot instead of adding vinegar if you don’t have one. Pour it directly into your serving bowl instead.
You can make this soup anytime you want. However, if you’re already cooking veggies for other Chinese dishes like fried rice or noodles, you can quickly prepare this.
Compared to conventional Clear soup, manchow soup served in restaurants is thicker. I am using cornstarch to provide the similar effect. However, I’ve reduced the amount of cornstarch so it won’t be as thick as in restaurants. If you want thicker soup, add more cornstarch.
Instead of deep-frying the noodles, you can air-fry them for a healthier option. Al dente cooked noodles can be substituted for the fried noodles, but this will not produce the same flavor as what you would get in restaurants.
You can also use Mamee Monster Crunchy Noodle Snack as a topping instead of boiling and preparing the noodles in this recipe. It becomes very simple to make manchow soup at home if you omit this step.
Step #3 Drain the Noodles
As soon as the noodles are done, drain them in a colander and rinse them under cold water. This is a crucial step because they will continue to cook for a longer amount of time in the cooking water. By washing them in cold water, you can get rid of any excess starch and salts and stop them from sticking together.
