It is a simplified model of the tomato noodle soup I’ve cooked for years, the place I dropped the braised meat topping the unique was constructed round so the bowl can stand by itself. The broth is delicate and refreshing, with the eggs doing actual work for each texture and the savory depth that pulls the dish collectively. It sits comfortably alongside hen udon soup on the rotation after I need a Chinese language noodle soup with little or no fuss.
Tomato noodle soup is the dish that carried me via each winter rising up in Beijing, and the one I nonetheless ladle out the second a chilly begins working its manner via our home. The broth is soothing, salty sufficient to consolation, and acidic sufficient to get up a drained urge for food. It’s the bowl my husband asks for when a sore throat exhibits up, and the bowl my son asks for with an additional egg on prime.
To make it, I saute scallion whites and ginger in oil, soften diced recent tomatoes and a spoon of tomato paste into the aromatics, then pour in hen inventory with gentle soy sauce, oyster sauce, and a contact of sugar. Whereas the broth simmers, the identical large pot of water cooks the udon noodles, blanches the bok choy, and poaches the eggs in flip. I assemble the bowls with a drizzle of toasted sesame oil and the scallion greens on prime, and the entire thing is on the desk in half-hour. I extremely advocate it!
Components
This tomato noodle soup retains the ingredient checklist brief and pantry-friendly, with the whole lot sourced from a daily grocery retailer and one journey to the Asian aisle for the seasonings.
The aromatics: Vegetable oil, sliced scallions with the white and inexperienced components saved separate for layering, and minced ginger construct the bottom of the broth in 30 seconds firstly. The white components go in early to bloom within the oil, and the greens come again on the finish as a recent garnish.
The broth: Diced recent tomatoes and a spoon of tomato paste prepare dinner down for the physique of the soup, with hen inventory, gentle soy sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, and salt to stability. I take advantage of 4 ripe tomatoes when they’re in season, and lean somewhat more durable on the tomato paste in winter when the recent ones are pale.
The noodles and greens: Dried udon noodles prepare dinner rapidly and maintain their form within the broth, although any skinny or medium wheat noodle works of their place. Child bok choy halved or quartered into bite-sized items blanches in the identical pot of water in lower than a minute.
The egg and end: A poached egg on every bowl is the a part of this recipe I refuse to skip, because it provides creamy texture and the savory depth the straightforward broth must learn as a whole meal. A drizzle of toasted sesame oil and the reserved scallion greens shut out the bowl.
How one can Make Chinese language Tomato Noodle Soup
1. Bloom the aromatics: Warmth the vegetable oil in a medium dutch oven or pot over medium warmth till it shimmers. Add the scallion whites and minced ginger and stir till aromatic, about 30 seconds.
2. Cook dinner down the tomatoes: Add the diced tomatoes and switch the warmth to medium-high. Cook dinner and stir till the tomatoes begin to break down, about 5 minutes, then stir within the tomato paste and maintain cooking for 1 minute extra.
3. Construct the broth: Pour within the hen inventory, gentle soy sauce, oyster sauce, and sugar. Carry the soup to a boil, flip the warmth to low, style, and add salt as wanted, then cowl the pot to maintain it scorching.
4. Cook dinner the noodles: Carry a big pot of water to a boil and prepare dinner the udon noodles in line with the bundle instructions. Drain, rinse with chilly faucet water to cease the cooking, and divide the noodles among the many serving bowls.
5. Blanch the bok choy: Drop the infant bok choy items into the identical pot of boiling water and blanch till tender however nonetheless crisp, then switch them to the serving bowls.
6. Poach the eggs and assemble: Poach the eggs in the identical pot to your most popular doneness. Ladle the recent tomato broth into every bowl, prime with a poached egg, and garnish with the reserved scallion greens and a drizzle of toasted sesame oil. Serve scorching.
Suggestions and Methods
Preserve the white and inexperienced scallion separate: I slice the scallions as soon as and divide the white and inexperienced components firstly. The whites bloom in oil to construct the savory base of the broth, and the greens go on prime on the finish for a recent prime be aware that the cooked broth can’t provide you with.
Cook dinner the tomatoes down laborious earlier than the inventory goes in: I let the diced tomatoes break down utterly within the oil earlier than pouring within the hen inventory, for the reason that cooking step is what releases their pure sweetness and pulls them into the soup. Skipping it leaves the broth skinny and the tomato chunks watery.
Order the toppings earlier than pouring the soup: I pull the noodles and bok choy into the bowls, poach the eggs final, and solely ladle the broth over after the eggs are in place, for the reason that broth temperature drops somewhat as soon as it stops simmering. Pouring the recent broth in final retains each bowl steaming when it reaches the desk.
Don’t skip the egg: The recipe reads easy on the web page, and the poached egg is what carries the feel and the umami depth within the bowl. I at all times prepare dinner 1 egg per serving and pierce the yolk on the desk so it pulls into the broth.
Add a protein for a heartier dinner: The broth and noodles are a lot for a light-weight lunch or a sick-day meal, however I typically prime every bowl with leftover braised meat or shredded hen after I need this to be a full dinner. Any cooked protein within the fridge slides into the bowl with out altering the cooking circulate.
How one can Serve
At dwelling this can be a low-stakes weeknight dinner or a sick-day lunch, and I maintain the remainder of the desk easy to match. A small dish of pickled radish or cucumber on the facet offers a pointy counter to the delicate tomato broth, and a pot of heat jasmine tea finishes the meal.
For a heartier desk, I crown every bowl with a spoonful of Chinese language-style on the spot pot shredded hen when the fridge is naked, my mother’s braised pork ribs when I’ve a Sunday batch readily available, or just a few items from a pot of Chinese language beef stew on a colder night. The easy broth holds up effectively below richer toppings, which is why this soup additionally makes one of the best touchdown spot for leftover hong shao rou when I’ve a cup or two within the fridge from the evening earlier than.
Incessantly Ask Questions
What noodle works greatest if I can’t discover udon?
Any skinny to medium wheat noodle works right here, for the reason that broth is the star and the noodles are the provider. I’ve used dried somen, skinny Shanghai noodles, and even angel hair pasta in a real pinch, and all three slide into the bowl with out altering the flavour of the broth.
How lengthy does the broth maintain within the fridge?
The broth retains in an hermetic container within the fridge for as much as 3 days, and I retailer it individually from the noodles and bok choy so the noodles don’t flip mushy in a single day. The broth additionally freezes effectively for as much as 2 months, which makes a double batch value the identical half-hour of cooking.
Can I make this with out the egg?
Technically sure, however I’ll say truthfully that the egg is the a part of the recipe I might not skip. The poached egg is what offers the straightforward broth its texture and the depth that pulls the bowl into a whole meal, so I at all times embody it even when I’m skipping the protein topping.
Wish to Save This Recipe?
Enter your electronic mail beneath & we’ll ship it to your inbox. Plus get nice new recipes from us each week!
My Chinese language tomato noodle soup brings collectively a fast tomato-ginger broth, tender poached eggs, blanched child bok choy, and udon noodles in a light-weight, homestyle bowl. It’s the easy dish I prepare dinner on chilly winter nights and sick days, and it comes collectively in half-hour.
Protein choices (Non-obligatory, footnote 1)
Forestall your display from going darkish
-
Warmth oil in a medium dutch oven (or pot) over medium warmth till it shimmers. Add scallion whites and ginger. Stir and prepare dinner to launch perfume, 30 seconds or so.
-
Add the tomato and switch to medium-high warmth. Cook dinner and stir till the tomato begins to interrupt down, 5 minutes or so. Add tomato paste. Preserve cooking and stirring for 1 minute.
-
Pour in hen inventory, soy sauce, oyster sauce and sugar. Carry to a boil and switch to low warmth. Style the tomato soup and regulate seasonings by including extra salt, if wanted. Cowl to maintain scorching.
-
In the meantime, boil an enormous pot of water and prepare dinner the noodles in line with bundle instructions. As soon as executed, switch the noodles to a colander, rinse with chilly faucet water to cease cooking, drain and portion into two serving bowls.
-
Blanch the infant bok choy in the identical pot of water till turning tender however nonetheless somewhat crisp. Switch to every serving bowl.
-
Poach the eggs in the identical pot till desired doneness. Add the tomato soup to every bowl and prime with the poached egg. Garnish with scallion greens and add a drizzle of sesame oil to complete. Prime along with your most popular protein, if desired. Serve scorching.
Ingredient Substitution Information
- You’ll be able to maintain the noodle soup bowl easy and serve it as a facet dish or staple with out every other meat. For a extra filling one-bowl meal, you should use nearly any sort of leftover meat akin to rotisserie hen, roast beef or pulled pork. I like to make use of my Immediate Pot hen for a wholesome meal. My mother’s favourite solution to make the soup is to make use of leftover stew meat. She additionally provides some stew broth into the soup (and makes use of much less soy sauce), making it even richer.
- The recipe yields 4 servings as a light-weight facet dish, and you may improve the egg quantity from 2 to 4 for every bowl. It’s also possible to make it a major dish by including a meat topping. On this case, the recipe yield 2 large servings.
Serving: 1serving, Energy: 319kcal, Carbohydrates: 46.9g, Protein: 14.4g, Fats: 9.5g, Saturated Fats: 1.8g, Ldl cholesterol: 93mg, Sodium: 1580mg, Potassium: 678mg, Fiber: 5.3g, Sugar: 11g, Calcium: 101mg, Iron: 4mg
Did you make this recipe?
I’d love to listen to the way it turned out for you! Please take a second to depart a 5-star ranking ⭐️ and share your ideas within the feedback additional down the web page. It actually helps others uncover the recipe too.
