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, just 352 calories for a big bowl. Use any noodles, any vegetables, any protein – or not! Terrific fridge forage food.
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:
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Broth: Plonk and simmer 6 ingredients for 10 minutes (no trip to the Asian store required!);
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Noodles: Prepare fresh OR dried noodles according to packet directions;
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Toppings: Rummage in fridge and locate vegetables & proteins of choice. Chop roughly and cook with the noodles or in the soup. broth; and
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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:
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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);
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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);
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Sesame oil – for the flavour!
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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);
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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
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Sugar – just a touch, to balance out the flavours.
What goes in the noodle soup
And here’s what I put in the soup:
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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!
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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)
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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?!
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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
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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. 😉
Thank you, it’s a lovely recipe. I’ve been having it for lunch each day, packed with nasturtium and dandelion leaves from the garden.
Amazing. Hit the spot on a cold winter’s night, after work.
Yes, it really only took 10 minutes.
I halved the recipe for just one serving, and used grated ginger because that’s what I had in the fridge.
The broth was the star of the dish and absolutely delicious.
Thank Nagi!!
Great soup base, added a bit of white pepper and a teaspoon of Chinese chicken powder. I’m addicted to that stuff. Served on thin Hokkien noodles with some Asian fishballs and fishcakes and prawn and ginger dumplings with fried eggplant, bok choy and spring onions. Garnish crispy fried shallot.
Absolutely delicious. My 2 & 6 yr old really like it. Thank you for this recipe. I love all your recipes.
Wahoo, that’s awesome Jojo!! N x
Hi there
Just wondering if I can use rice noodles instead of egg noodles? That’s all i have on hand at the moment.
Another winner. Your clear instructions, hints and notes are THE BEST.
Thanks for dinner 🙂
Hi there Nagi. I think your recipes are fantastic and you inspire me. I’m not really a recipe person, but love to read them then sort of do my own thing. I have noticed now when ever I have an idea but just want to check a recipe to see if I’m on the right track, I constantly find myself on your site. I did your crispy pork. (With rolled not flattened no tin foil underneath just chunks of onion and garlic) it was the most perfect pork I have ever made. i was out of cooking wine for broth, you confirmed I was on track with oyster sauce. I tell everyone looking for recipes to check you out. Also love you post little bits about your beautiful pup. Big paws🤣. I have 2 50+kg little pups😁. Really just wanted to say thanks for recipetineats.
Sofka.
Thank you so much Sofka, I truly love hearing what people think of my recipes!!! What type of dogs do you have, I can only imagine how much food they would eat!!! N x
Thanks for your reply Nagi.
My dogs are one gorgeous 8yo English bullmastif and a rescue dog we have had about 2 years now, we think he is about 5 and possibly combination of mastiff, ridgeback and great dane. Yes they eat a bit of food and I make it all apart from dry food. They have fresh meat and cooked mince with carrot spinach and brown rice most nights with fish and chicken nights once a week. My friends think I’m a crack up and feed them better than some humans eat. It make me happy to know they are getting the best possible diet.
Sofka. Look forward to trying many more of your recipes.
Hi Nagi. You should be in the Cooking Hall of Fame, if there were one! Do you have any recipes using Chinese sausages? I love the flavour, but need some ideas from you. Thanks.
Thanks Christine 😂 And I do have one of my favourite recipes here you’ll love: https://www.recipetineats.com/char-kway-teow/ N x
Thanks so much. I’ll give it a try and will also use sausages in fried rice. Thanks so much. You’re the best!
Hi, any suggestions on a vegetarian stock substitute? Thanks!
Thank you, Nagi. My husband is doing the 5:2 diet and we often resort to a light soup. This was perfect as I had a chicken breast and ginger in the freezer. We love the addition of rice wine although we may use a little less next time. It definitely made a difference. I use many of your recipes and you are my go-to when I wonder what to do with an ingredient I have to hand. I also appreciate all your notes.
I haven’t tried this yet but I am super keen, looks delish! Just wondering, it looks like you’ve got a dollop of chilli on top. Is this any specific mixture or just minced chilli? 😀 x
Thank you so much, Nagi! I’ve run out of sesame oil and didn’t have any idea where I get cooking wine. Hovewer I liked the soup I got even without these ingredients!!))) Definetely will try again! Thank you!!
I tried your recipe, nowI can see why others loved it. It was very good. I will definitely try your other recipes. Thank you for contributing something good to our lives.
You’re so welcome nk, I love hearing this! N x
Hi Nagi, wow I made Chinese noodle soup today, it was bursting with flavour and so delicious, it will def be made again, I love this recipe, thanks.
That’s awesome Ali, thanks so much! N x
Hi
The notes for substitutes for Chinese wine says reduce soy sauce to 1 Tablespoon. How much soy sauce am I supposed to use initially?
Thank you
Excellently done, seem well thought out, organized, packed full of information. Best site I have found for a great variety of recipes thanks for all your efforts.
I made several gallons of this for Chinese New Year celebrations last year – it is gorgeous and people raved about it. Used sherry, star anise, enoki mushrooms and scallions. Planning to do another large batch and distribute it this year to lift everyone’s spirits.
Very quick, easy and tasty. I used carrots, daikon, cauliflower, broccoli, sugar snap peas, green onion (scallion), and egg noodles along with chicken meat from cooked drumsticks. A deliciously satisfying meal with lots of veggies. Subbed sherry for the cooking wine.
Very quick, easy and tasty. I used carrots, daikon, cauliflower, broccoli, green onion, and egg noodles along with chicken meat from cooked drumsticks. A deliciously satisfying meal with lots of veggies. Subbed sherry for the cooking wine.
OMG!!!! if you haven’t already please please make this. It was incredible. The base is soooo good you can add absolutely anything to it. Thank you so much for all of your recipes. I haven’t tried one that my family didn’t love!!!!