Manchow soup is a spicy, brothy concoction that wipes the chill out of a cold day. The soup has humble beginnings in Southeast Asia where it was a poor-man's-broth during the lean months of the year. It has come a long way since. Every household has a different style of Manchow soup and trying to find one that suits you is not an easy task. In the past, many would simply add random vegetables to broth and hope for the best. It would be soup but Manchow soup comes with a rich texture that could change the way you feel about Asian cuisine. Not just a starter or a side to the main course, a good Manchow soup could even help with colds and fevers. What's best is that the soup is an excellent way to get the goodness of vegetables into fussy eaters – like children. The essence of this recipe for Manchow soup is that it is completely customizable. You can add whatever meat or vegetables you wish, as long as you have a solid base. This recipe is going to help you bring the goodness of soup into the family.

• 1 packet noodles
• Cooking oil
• 2 tsp garlic
• 2 tsp ginger
• 1 small onion
• 1 cup carrot
• 1 cup cabbage
• 1 cup bell pepper
• 1 tsp vinegar
• 1 cup shredded chicken
• 1 egg
• To taste salt
• Black pepper
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• Light soy sauce
• Dark soy sauce

• Finely chop all the vegetables after you have washed and thoroughly cleaned them.
• Set them aside.
• If you plan to add chicken to your soup, boil chicken breasts and shred the cooked meat into bite-sized pieces.
• Ensure that the meat has no bones or sinew.
• Make your corn flour slurry by combining corn flour and water into a lump-free mixture. The mixture should be thin like a pancake batter.
• Cook the noodles as per the instructions on the packet. Drain and rinse the noodles in cold water. Keep the noodles aside to drain and dry completely.
• Sprinkle 2 Tsp of corn flour over the noodles and toss it thoroughly. This helps to drain the excess water and also to give the crispy texture to the noodles when fried.
• Deep fry the noodles in small batches in a heavy bottomed pan or wok, heat one cup of the cooking oil of your choice.. Ensure that the noodles are completely submerged and that the noodles are not too crowded in the fry pan.
• Remove the excess oil after frying the noodles so that you have about a tablespoon or two of oil left in the pan.
• Add ginger, garlic and green chilies to the pan and saute them for a minute or so.
• Next, add the white bits of the spring onion and onion and fry them until the onions are fragrant and translucent. Do this on a low flame as a high flame could burn the onions and make the soup bitter.
• Add all your chopped vegetables to the cooking mix and saute until the vegetables turn colour.
• Add 4 cups of chicken or vegetable broth to the pan and let it start to simmer on a high flame for about four to five minutes.
• Once the soup is simmering, add light soy, dark soy sauce, chili sauce, vinegar, black pepper and sugar.
• The sauces are salty to add salt to the mix only after you have tasted the soup.
• Once the soup begins to boil, add your shredded chicken. This step is optional. You can skip this step and the next if you do not want meat in your soup.
• For those who wish to add egg, this is where you do it. Beat an egg is a small bowl and slowly pour it into the soup, mixing continuously. The mixing helps to form the telltale ribbons of the soup.
• Once the egg is added, introduce the corn flour slurry. Add one Tbsp at a time and stop when you have reached the consistency you wish. Usually, two Tbsp is needed.
• Cook for two minutes and your manchow soup is done.
• Add fresh coriander or spring onion greens as garnish and serve.
• Right before you serve, add the crispy fried noodles. Do not leave the noodles sitting in the soup for too long or they would get soggy.