Asian Steaming: Soups In (1/3)

FEATURE OF THE MONTH Asian Steaming: Soups In When the temperature dips, the wind chills, and the mercury plunge to the bitter winter cold, what do you crave? A steaming bowl of chicken soup? The answer may seem obvious; the soup is no longer the plain old chicken noodle soup. Many variations of Asian-styled chicken soups have now provided lush options to satisfy the more diverse American palates. There is the delicious Chicken Wonton Soup that would make a hearty and filling meal in a winter night. There is the peppery Hot and Sour Soup that takes the combination of the chicken broth, the vinegar and the hot pepper flakes to warm you right to the core. There is the Vietnamese Chicken Pho in savory clear chicken broth, served with a side dish of fresh crunchy bean sprouts, fresh lime, green chili and pleasantly pungent herbs. There are the Korean KimChi Ji Gae (KimChi with meat and tofu soup), the Japanese Miso Soup with Wakame Seaweed and Onion, the Thai Chicken Galanga Coconut Soup, Spicy Shrimp Rice Soup, the Malaysian Chicken Laksa, … the list can go on and on. Soups In In the freezing season of the year, savvy chefs at Asian restaurants, especially Chinese, Thai, Vietnamese, Korean restaurants, have turned to the steaming soup bowls for ideas to heat up the cool-off winter sales. Many offer a variety of soups with enticing flavors and lush ingredients for vegetarian, or meat and seafood appetite. Asian soups are different than the western ones. In the West soups are always served at the start of a dinner proceedings. In an Asian meal, however, soups are offered throughout the meal, or on more formal occasions, a soup or soups are served between courses. Asian Soups fall into two categories: either light broth or heavy hearty. Light broth soup is sipped throughout the meal to help ease down the food; and the more substantial soup can be served between courses to refresh the palate, or can be a meal by itself. While soups are of nutritious & healthy perceptions to diners, soups generate a juicy profit margin to restaurateurs. Soups also open up unlimited possibilities for menu innovations to Asian chefs. Among the many reasons that make soups the new favorite on Asian menus, there are some notable rationales: Soups Are Low Food Cost, High Margin Menu Items Asian soups allow liberal use of ingredients & condiments. Anything can be (and is) used in Asian soups, such as noodles, rice, tofu, dumplings/wontons, vegetables, meatballs, eggs, beef, chicken, seafood, and a variety of herbs and condiments. Southeast Asian soups even feature fruits like pears, papaya and pineapples. Soups Can Be Easily Adapted To All Taste Profiles. A soup takes in the flavors of the broth, and easily absorbs the ingredients to achieve a balance of taste and texture. Hot and sour, a staple soup item on the Chinese menu is among the American’s favorites; while lemon grass and fish sauce dictate the real “Thai” flavor of pungent and spicy seafood noodle or rice soup. Fans of “Pho”, or those who love the Vietnamese noodle soup with chicken, beef stew or meatballs, would find the clear broth amazingly flavorful. By adding crisp bean sprouts, fresh lime and herbs, the noodle soup is pleasantly rich in texture aroma and tastes. House of Tofu Soup, a Korean soup eatery in south San Francisco, specialized in hearty soups based upon tofu. The soup comes in many variations such as dumpling, mushroom, or chicken. Raw eggs are provided to drop into the boiling hot soup as soon as it arrives at your table, if you so desire. The soup is amazingly rich, almost like custard, and it's flavored heavily with hot sauce (but you can order it as hot or mild as you wish). Soup and rice are served separately in hot ceramic bowls, which gives additional texture to both. Soups Allow Culinary Innovation At Easy Effort