Give your winter soups a bit of a boost with Wing Yip

With winter around the corner it’s time to leave the lunchtime salads and sandwiches behind and opt for a warming soup to help us through the cold days.

Packed full of fresh ingredients and spicy flavours, Oriental soups are an inspiring alternative to the typical tomato, chicken or vegetable.

Served as a filling meal in a bowl, delicious and nutritious Oriental noodle-based soups are perfect for hungry appetites on a chilly day.

Leading Oriental grocer, Wing Yip, stocks a range of ingredients that are perfect for creating big saucepans of tasty and wholesome soups.

Mr Wing Yip said: “Soups are easy to make at home and are a great way of experimenting with new flavour combinations from simple ingredients – and ensure you add some Oriental spices and Wing Yip soup pastes to liven up the tastebuds.”

Wing Yip is the UK’s leading Chinese grocer, with stores in Birmingham, Manchester, Cricklewood and Croydon. With over 3,000 products from the Far East stocked online at www.wingyipstore.com and in store.

To get you started try the following popular Oriental soup recipes at home.

Hot and Sour Soup

This soup is popular because it has so many different flavours - pepper hot, slightly sweet and savoury. Our version uses spicy szechuan bean sauce.

Ingredients

• 1 jar Wing Yip Spicy Szechuan Bean Sauce
• 113g lean pork (finely sliced into strips)
• 28g Dried sliced Chinese mushrooms (soaked & shredded)
• 14g Wood Ear Fungus (soaked and shredded)
• 1/2 pkt Soft Tofu (cut into 1cm cubes)
• 850 ml (11/2 pts) chicken stock
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1 Tbsp Red or White Wine Vinegar
• 1 egg (beaten)
• 1 spring onion (finely chopped)
• 1 heaped tsp cornflour (mixed with 2 tsp water)
• 2 tsps peanut or vegetable oil
• 1 tsp sesame oil

Preparation

1. Heat both oils in a large pan and gently fry sliced pork for 5 minutes.
2. Add Wing Yip Spicy Szechuan Bean Sauce, fungus, mushrooms and stock. Cover and simmer gently for 15 minutes.
3. Add pepper and vinegar, adjust seasoning, then the diced tofu.
4. Bring back to the boil and add cornflour.
5. Then add beaten egg in a stream, stirring carefully with a fork in a circular motion. Turn off heat and cover pan for 1 minute.
6. Serve with chopped spring onions to garnish.

Thai Spicy Noodle Soup

There are many versions of this ever popular street food but the vital ingredients are; good quality stock, lime juice, chillies and fresh herbs to garnish. A meal in a bowl, this recipe is quick and easy to prepare using a Tom Yum soup base. Recipe is for one so do double quantities if cooking for more.

Ingredients

• 1 small chicken breast or 100g minced pork
• 1 tsp cornflour (if using minced pork)
• 1 clove garlic (crushed with the flat side of a knife)
• 1 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 400-500ml chicken stock
• 1 tsp Mai Siam Tom Yum soup paste
• 5 Pak Choi leaves
• 1 handful bean sprouts
• 1 red chilli (optional)
• 3 sprigs fresh coriander
• 2 sprigs mint (take the leaves off the stems)
• 2 tsp Mai Siam fish sauce (to taste)
• 1/2 tsp sugar (to taste)
• 1 clove garlic (crushed)
• 1-2 lime wedges
• 100g Mai Siam flat rice noodles (dry weight)

Preparation

1. Heat the vegetable oil in a small pan and quickly fry the garlic.
2. Before it burns, add the chicken stock and bring it to the boil.
3. Add the Tom Yum paste and when the soup is boiling, add the sliced chicken breast.
4. If using minced pork; season lightly with fish sauce and pepper, add 1 tsp of cornflour, mix well and form into balls the size of a small marble.
5. Drop the meatballs into the boiling stock and add fish sauce and a little sugar to taste.
6. Meanwhile, prepare the noodles in another pan by boiling in hot water.
7. Strain and keep aside.
8. When the meat is cooked, add the noodles and pak choi.
9. When the pak choi is al dente, take the noodles off the heat and pour into a large bowl.
10. Garnish with beansprouts, coriander and mint leaves.
11. Serves, steaming hot, with lime wedges.

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