Chinese Noodle Soup is incredibly quick and easy – if you know the secret seasonings! You’d swear the Asian soup broth is from a Chinese restaurant, it’s that good. 10 minutes and just 352 calories for a big bowl. Use any noodles, any vegetables, any protein – or not! It’s terrific fridge-forage food.
This is a reader-favourite recipe included by popular demand in my debut cookbook “Dinner”!
Fast Chinese Noodle Soup!
This Chinese Noodle Soup is one of my classic “back pocket” recipes because it’s so versatile and incredibly quick. Because people who cook all day for a living need quick dinners for real life – ask any chef!!
Here’s a run down of how it goes:
Broth: Plonk and simmer 6 ingredients for 10 minutes (no trip to the Asian store required!);
Noodles: Prepare fresh OR dried noodles according to packet directions;
Toppings: Rummage in fridge and locate vegetables & proteins of choice. Chop roughly and cook with the noodles or in the soup. broth; and
Serve: Place noodles in bowls. Pour over soup and toppings.
See? 10 minutes!
Seasonings for Chinese soup broths
If you’ve ever been disappointed by a recipe for an Asian soup broth before, it’s probably because it was missing basic but essential flavourings. It takes more than just chicken broth and soy sauce to make a Chinese soup broth!
Here’s what all you need:
Chinese cooking wine – the key ingredient. Just 1.5 tablespoons adds complexity and depth of flavour to the store bought chicken stock. Without it, the broth will taste “flat” ie missing something. Substitute with: dry sherry, mirin or cooking sake. Best non alcoholic sub for this recipe: substituting some of the soy sauce with oyster sauce (which adds extra “umami” into the broth to compensate);
Garlic and ginger – smash the garlic and slice the ginger to allow the fresh flavours to infuse into the broth. Keeping them whole makes it easy to pick out later – you could very well grate them straight into the broth using a fine grater, but you will get little bits in the soup (rather than being a clear broth);
Sesame oil – for the flavour!
Chicken broth/stock – use low sodium otherwise the broth may be a touch too salty for your taste. Use a decent one, because it’s the foundation of the soup broth (🇦🇺 I use Campbells. Better than Continental). Best option if you have it: homemade chicken stock!;
Soy sauce – either all purpose or light soy sauce will work here. Don’t use dark soy sauce or sweet soy sauce – the flavour of these are too intense; and
Sugar – just a touch, to balance out the flavours.
What goes in the noodle soup
And here’s what I put in the soup:
Noodles – Chinese noodle soups are traditionally made with thin egg noodles (pictured above, and below in the soup). Fresh ones (sold in the fridge section) have a better texture than dried. But any noodles will be fine here – fresh or dried, rice noodles, white or yellow noodles, Hokkien, Singapore noodles, wide, thin, vermicelli, ramen noodles (yup!), diet noodles (like konyaku – been there, done that), zoodles (been there too). Really. ANY noodles will be great in this broth!
Bok Choy (also known as buk choi, buk choi, pak choi, or pok choi – crazy right??!) – or any vegetables. I like bok choy because you just split them in half down the middle and bam! You’re done! (Recipe notes includes an extensive list of chopping and cook directions for common vegetables)
Cooked Chicken (poach it using this method that guarantees juiciness)- or any other protein, as desired. Everybody keeps little containers of cooked shredded chicken in the freezer, right?!
Green onion or coriander/cilantro, or chives, or even finely sliced onion (red, white, yellow brown) – something for a little hit of freshness.
How to make Chinese Noodle Soup
And here’s how it happens in 10 minutes. (And to all those cheeky buggers who will point out that if you have to simmer for 10 minutes, then it takes longer than 10 minutes – fine! You can take a 2 minutes off the simmer time!😉)
PRO TIP: Never cook noodles in the soup broth unless a recipe specifically calls for it. Noodles suck up loads of liquid when they cook, so if you do that you’ll end up with way less broth than you expect. Learnt this the hard way. 😖
Make it even HEALTHIER!!
Being that this is a noodle soup recipe and all, noodles are a key ingredient here. Even so, it clocks in at just 352 calories for a bowl.
But if you want to cut down on the carbs and calories even further, just skip the noodles and load it up with tons more vegetables to make a Chinese vegetable soup. In fact, it’s one of my “go-to” diet dinners (which should happen more frequently than it does…).
Do I miss the noodles? Of course I do. But I console myself with a healthy dose of chilli paste and lots of fresh herbs, Chicken Pho style.
But before you make it diet, try it the way it’s intended. THEN healthify it!!! – Nagi x
Watch How To Make It
This recipe features in my debut cookbook Dinner. The book is mostly new recipes, but this is a reader favourite included by popular demand!
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Chinese Noodle Soup
Ingredients
Broth
- 3 cups chicken stock/broth, low sodium (Note 1)
- 2 garlic cloves , smashed (Note 2)
- 1.5 cm / 1/2" ginger piece, cut into 3 slices (optional, but highly recommended)
- 1 1/2 tbsp light soy sauce , or normal all purpose soy sauce (Note 3)
- 2 tsp sugar (any)
- 1 1/2 tbsp chinese cooking wine (Note 4)
- 1/4 – 1/2 tsp sesame oil , toasted (optional) (Note 5)
Toppings & Noodles
- 180g / 6oz fresh egg noodles (Note 6)
- 2 large bok choy or other vegetables of choice (use any blanchable veg – Note 7)
- 1 cup shredded cooked chicken (or other protein of choice)
- 1 scallion / shallot , green part only finely sliced (optional garnish)
Instructions
- Place Broth ingredients in a saucepan over high heat. Place lid on, bring to simmer then reduce to medium and simmer for 8 – 10 minutes to allow the flavours to infuse.
- Meanwhile, cook noodles according to packet directions.
- Cut bok choys in half (for small / medium) or quarter (for large). Wash thoroughly.
- Either cook the bok choi in the broth in the soup broth OR noodle cooking water for 1 min (if noodles required boiling).
- Pick garlic and ginger out of soup.
- Place noodles in bowls. Top with chicken and bok choy. Ladle over soup, garnish with green onions. Great served with chilli paste or fresh chillis.
Recipe Notes:
- Reduce soy sauce to 1 tbsp
- Add 1 tbsp Oyster Sauce (this has umami and will add complexity into the broth flavour to compensate for leaving out cooking wine).
- Fresh noodles, thin (ie from fridge section, this is what I use) – 90g / 3 oz per serving
- Fresh noodles, wide and flat (like thick Thai rice noodles) – 150g/ 5 oz per serving (much denser, so you need more)
- Dried noodles, pasta (yes, really!) – 60g / 2 oz per serving
- Ramen – 1 pack / “cake” per person
- Any Chinese veggies (bok choy/buk choi/pak choi, gai lan/Chinese broccoli, choy sum). Cut Bok Choy into half or quarters lengthwise (pictured / video), for other veg, cut into batons about 5cm / 2″ long
- Carrots – sliced on the diagonal
- Bean sprouts
- Green beans
- zucchini (sliced)
- green beans cabbage (thick slice)
- asparagus, broccoli / broccolini and cauliflower,
- any other vegetable that can be boiled.
Nutrition Information:
Originally published June 2016. Long overdue for a video to be added with brand new photos and process steps!
MORE ASIAN SOUPS YOU’LL LOVE!
Life of Dozer
Baby Hands and Giant Paws. Evidence for anyone who has wondered how small my hands really are. 😉
Such an easy and delicious recipe. One of my fav go too’s
I think I make this recipe at least once a week. It’s easy as anything, takes bugger all time and is incredibly delicious. Really good when suffering from a cold too! Easily one of my favourites.
I LOVE THIS RECIPE. I add carrot and broccoli, and, importantly, star anise. Better next day when the flavours have infused. Thank you, Nagi.
Very goooood…. A definite do-over…..
This was perfect for a rainy day! Next time I will add star anise as I think that will impart a lovely flavour, as you mentioned in the notes. I will definitely be checking out the soup recipes on this page!
This was so simple and soo good. Thank you for another awesome recipe! ❤️
I’ve now made this often. First time, I mistakenly used the stock that was not salt reduced….too salty. I have now paid more attention to the details in your recipes. I love the details you include in every recipe, including helpful comments from others. Instead of bok choy, I use brocclini and carrots. Quick, easy and delicious. Thank you!
Absolutely love this soup!
I finely slice carrot, capsicum and spring onion, add coriander, bok choy and long red chilli (none of this blanched, straight into serving bowl) .
I then pop half a pack of 2 minute noodles(cooked) and 5 store bought prawn dumplings which I steam on top of broth. I then add the broth which I love. I actually just add 2 tspn jar crushed garlic and ginger and feel it is perfect for my taste!
Thank you for such wonderful, versatile recipes!
I made this and it was SO GREAT. so easy, great reward for little effort. Adding some dried shiitakes to the broth amps it up even more.
I’ve been making Chinese noodle soups my whole adult life, but followed a recipe for the first time and it was sooo much better. OMG you wouldn’t think something so simple could be so good
Every time I think of something I want to cook, you have the perfect, no nonsense recipe. This one was a smash hit in my house. Followed the recipe exactly and added star anise as suggested. Thanks Nagi!
Very good. I used tofu instead of chicken. Next time I will cut the bok choy/pak choy smaller to make it easier to eat with chopsticks.
Hey Nagi, love your receipes.
I used this as a base for some dumpling fill balls after I took the wrappers off (am keto). Yum
Check out Keto Asian Flavors for keto noodles… no need to miss out on noodles on diet days!
Made that for dinner tonight! Amazing flavors! The whole family just devoured it!
Made as indicated with the addition of sliced mushrooms and baby spinach!
With the family sick a few weeks ago, I wanted to try this soup as a good comfort food. It was completely delicious and I’ve made it over and over! I’m actually a little obsessed! Like others, I didn’t have fresh chicken stock on hand, so used powdered cubes and I shredded a bought roasted chicken, but in combination with fresh egg noodles and bok choy, it was so good! Thanks Nagi for another wonderful recipe x
Fantastic, a quick and easy go to for any Asian soup.
Made this for my lunch this afternoon, it was amazing. I think the Sambal is must too add on top.
This is a delicious soup and although I just made it today, I can see how it can be very versatile in the ingredients you can use. The broth has a very good flavour to it. Thank you for sharing!
Hey Nagi ,
The whole family went crazy over this recipe !! The best and the easiest thing to make !! I made with with powdered chicken bouillon 🫣( yeah I know I should not mention that 😉) but I did just to say how easy it is to make and how tasty it became when I added carrots , lemon grass and onions for extra flavor
It’s very delicious! I have never had Chinese soup before because I usually dislike any soup with broth but this is fantastic.
Can I ask, if I make extra broth to freeze in portions so next time I can just heat it up and add to the other ingredients, will the broth freeze and defrost well?