Chinese Lamb Noodle Soup

Chinese Lamb Noodle Soup is simple home cooking, perfect for a chilly day. In the Chinese culture, specific foods such as lamb, cinnamon, anise, fennel seeds, garlic, ginger, scallion, and chili, are believed to be “warming.” Warming foods, also described as “yang” foods, are believed to include heat to the body, assisting to enhance circulation and fend off colds. The opposite of warming foods or yang foods are “cooling” foods or “yin” foods. When your body is too yin, you require to balance it out with yang foods.

Growing up in a Chinese household, I remember my granny making particular tonic soups with weird dried roots.

With winter season coming, and the weather condition turning chillier, I am yearning soups, particularly Asian noodle soups. Compared to much heavier stews and soups I typically crave in the winter season, Asian noodle soups are nourishing, hearty, and surprisingly light.

Asian Noodle Soup Elements:

Nearly all Asian foods have their versions of noodle soups, whether they are Chinese, Korean, Japanese, or Vietnamese However, they all have similar parts.

• Soup Base– chicken, chicken/pork, beef, lamb, anchovy, or dashi
• Veggies– bok choy, napa cabbage, cabbage, spinach, carrots, zucchini, bean sprouts, mushrooms
• Protein– chicken, pork, beef, seafood (e.g., clams, shrimp, squid), eggs, tofu
• Noodles– cellophane (mung bean) noodles, sweet potato starch noodles, soba noodles, udon noodles, rice noodles, somen noodles, ramen
• Aromatics– ginger, garlic, scallions, star anise, cinnamon stick, Sichuan peppercorns, Korean chili pepper flakes
• Garnishes– scallion, fresh herbs (e.g., cilantro, Thai basil, mint), sesame oil, soy sauce, fish sauce, white pepper powder, chili oil

Use your creativity to come up with your own version of an Asian Noodle Soup. It’s a complete meal in a bowl.

This Chinese Lamb Noodle Soup consists of many “warming” spices. Taking a seat with a bowl of this is like covering yourself with a blanket and sitting by a stunning fire. It will take the chill out of your bones.

This Chinese Lamb Noodle Soup is particularly fragrant due to all the warm spices– star anise, cinnamon, cardamon, ginger, Sichuan peppercorns, fennel seeds, garlic and scallions. I made the lamb stock in an Instant Pot, however you can also simply prepare it on the stove.

While the stock is cooking, you can prepare the noodle soup ingredients. There are a few ingredients that you may not recognize with, such as cellophane noodles and cloud ear fungi. I concur the names of these components might sound weird, but they are common Chinese ingredients that you should have the ability to find at a local Asian market.

Cellophane noodles are actually made from mung bean starch. They are often called glass noodles or mung bean noodles. They normally come in private packs that weight 50 grams each.

Cellophane noodles require to be soaked for 15-20 minutes before cooking. The soaked noodles only take a couple of minutes to cook.

Cloud ear fungi are often called cloud ear mushrooms, and actually grow on trees. They come dried, and require to be rehydrated. Cloud ear fungus are similar to wood ear fungus, but are more fragile and not as thick. If you can’t discover cloud ear fungi, you can use wood ear fungi. I purchase compressed cloud ear fungus, which use up very little area.

Cloud ear fungus reconstitute in water in about 1/2 an hour. As soon as soaked, cloud ear fungus broaden considerably. When cooked, cloud ear fungi have a chewy, somewhat crispy texture. They don’t have much flavor on their own, however are wonderful in soups for textural contrast.

The assembly of this soup for serving is really simple once you have the lamb broth, and have soaked the cellophane noodles and cloud ear fungi. The noodles, cloud ear fungus and cabbage are cooked in the lamb broth. Then everything is divided amongst the serving bowls. I like white pepper powder, minced scallions and hot chili oil on top of mine.

For more Asian Noodle Soups, you might like:

Spicy Chinese Beef Noodle Soup

Spicy Korean Beef Noodle Soup

Vietnamese Beef Pho Noodle Soup