Manchow Soup

What a roller-coaster ride it has been the last couple of months. From our hectic trip to India, to getting back to California , to our desperate house-hunting process to finally settling down in an apartment had taken an extreme toll on me. I didn't , however, find that perfect kitchen of my dreams that I so wanted to cook in, but the fact that my apartment kitchen was overlooking the greenest of the golf courses was inspiring enough to create and appease our appetites and to satisfy my blog-craving or so I thought.
What I hadn't braced myself for was my totally mobile 12 month old who was constantly behind me and tugging my legs every time I got in the kitchen to cook, and what seemed like a perfectly simple task of cooking became seemingly impossible. So I decided to hold back on my blogging and feeding the family blah blah, and get onto better things, like spending quality time with my daughter. So most of our meals were made ahead when time permitted and frozen or I had to think of dishes I could do in a jiffy while she was taking her blissful nap.But sometimes its oh-so
nice to indulge in something new and nice once in while and today my hands were itching to do - The Manchow Soup - considering the fact that I had all the ingredients right there in my fridge.
I fell in love with this soup on one of my visits to India about 2 years back . I had this in a restaurant called Peking and I absolutely loved it.I was surprised that during all my life in India , I had never tasted this one. Well, I had to have this recipe and of course there's always google. I have made this a couple of times and the dish itself is so wholesome, it can be considered a meal in itself.

The Manchow Soup



1 cup cooked chicken pieces
4 cups chicken stock
1 tsp ginger-finely chopped
1 tsp garlic-finely chopped
1 tsp green chilies-finely chopped
1 tbsp coriander leaves-finely chopped
2 tbsp cabbage-finely chopped
2 tbsp capsicum-finely chopped
2 tbsp mushrooms-finely chopped
2 spring onions-finely chopped
2 tbsp French beans-finely chopped
2 tbsp carrots-finely chopped
1 tsp pepper
1 tbsp Soy sauce
4 tbsp cornflour mixed with 1 cup water
2 stems of spring onion
2 tbsp oil
salt as required


In a pan, stir fry the chopped ginger, garlic, coriander leaves and green chilies for about 2 minutes.
Add all the chopped vegetables and stir fry for about 3 minutes . Add pepper and salt as desired.
Add the shredded and cooked chicken to the vegetable mixture and saute well.
Add the chicken stock and the soy sauce .Meanwhile, in a small wok, heat up about 1/2 cup oil. When hot, fry the dried noodles , remove immediately, drain on a paper towel and keep aside. When the soup boils, reduce the heat and add the cornflour dissolved with water or chicken stock and stir constantly till it thickens to a soup consistency .
Remove from heat and garnish with crispy fried noodles. Serve immediately.

Pantry Raid III

It was time for the pantry again and this time it was -- Sweet corn chicken soup : The favorite in any Indian chinese restaurant. I havent come across anyone who doesnt like sweet corn chicken soup. This is the ultimate comfort food for either a cold day, a rainy day or a hot summer day. It is " the" chicken soup for the soul....!

Sweet Corn Chicken Soup

Found in my Pantry :

1. Canned Sweet Corn Cream Style


2. Canned Whole Corn Kernels


3. Cornflour


4. Chicken Stock

Ingredients :

1 Can Sweet Corn Cream style
1 Can Whole Corn Kernels
2 Tbsp Corn flour
5 Cups Chicken Stock
1 Cup Cooked and Shredded Chicken
1 Cup Water
2 Sprigs Green Onion
1 Egg
Salt and Pepper to taste

Add the chicken stock , sweet corn cream style and whole corn kernels in a big dish and set it on the stove. When it boils, add the cooked chicken and let it simmer gently for about 5-10 minutes. Meanwhile, in a cup of water, dissolve the 2 Tbsp of Corn flour. Add this slowly to the soup . If you think that the soup needs to be more thicker , add some more corn flour. Once the soup reaches its desired consistency, beat one egg in a bowl and add this slowly to the soup while still stirring the soup with your other hand. Add salt and pepper to taste and garnish with sliced green onions. Serve hot.

I like it best with the sriracha hot sauce available at the asian stores here.