Asian Soup Recipes That Take Comfort Food To Another Level

A comforting bowl of soup is a brilliant way to give yourself a little boost at any time of year. But it's especially welcome when you want to ward off the winter blues or combat a rainy spring day, for instance. These gorgeous Asian soup recipes are a killer way to mix things up and bring some comfort and cheer into your kitchen. The heavenly scent of simmering ingredients drifting through your home beats waiting for a takeaway to arrive. 

Even better, homemade soups are very often healthier than anything you'll pick up from a restaurant, given that you have way more control over what and how much goes into your particular bowl. And if you've got dietary needs or want to play around with the particular ingredients involved, soup recipes are especially forgiving. Vegetarians, vegans, and anyone else with different diets can rejoice!

While you may need to scour some specialty grocery stores for a few ingredients, if you're a fan of the diverse array of Asian cuisines, you'll probably find yourself reaching for that bottle of fish sauce or bag of dashi stock on the regular. Even better, these beautiful, delicious soups are as tasty as they are easy to make, meaning that they're accessible even for the most novice of cooks. You'll be able to master them in no time at all. With their layers of flavorful ingredients, these soul-satisfying Asian soups are bound to become your new favorites no matter the season.

Light, simple, yet incredibly flavorful, there's nothing quite like a bowl of this miso soup recipe. To make authentic miso soup, you'll need a couple of special ingredients that include miso paste, shiitake mushrooms, and kombu. Yes, you may need to carve out a bit of time to visit an Asian grocery store, but these ingredients are key to making phenomenal miso soup.

Ultimately, given how much you'll likely be making this delicious recipe again and again, those ingredients are well worth tracking down. Miso is an especially valuable ingredient, not only because it offers incredible flavor, but because it also has some health benefits that you may want to take advantage of, from improving digestion to supply some important vitamins. 

Consider also that miso soup could make quite the impression at your next get-together. It's an ideal appetizer or soup course, offering up a savory, light flavor in an incredibly easy to prepare and satisfying little package. You'll be sure to impress everyone with this simple, wonderful soup.

What about the ability to have some wonderfully warm and savory egg drop soup on demand — yes or heck yes? 

This recipe is especially great for the time-strapped cook trying to make a soup on a busy weeknight. You can cook up a pot of this silky smooth soup in less than half an hour, which is also perfect when you've been hit with a serious egg drop soup craving and the takeout just won't arrive at your front door fast enough. This is another very accessible recipe, as egg drop soup doesn't take much effort to prep and cook, making it a firm favorite as far as soups go. 

This egg drop soup recipe is enhanced by fresh veggies like bok choy and broccoli, upping the health factor considerably. Broccoli is especially full of healthy nutrients, making it a wonderful addition here. You can also add a little protein to the mix like tofu or chicken, turning this into a fully satisfying and hearty meal.

Homemade ramen is nothing less than one of life's greatest pleasures all cozied up in a single culinary package. Packed with fragrant ingredients like ginger, garlic, sesame oil, and chilis, it's nothing like the instant ramen packets you might have stashed in your pantry back in those wild and cash-strapped college days. Rest assured that this homemade ramen recipe will have those microwaved affairs beat by a mile.

Topped off with a soft boiled egg, bean sprouts, and fresh herbs, this ramen is a one-bowl wonder that'll keep you feeling full for hours. While there are several steps to making ramen, this recipe is pretty easy regardless and with plenty of room for variation. You can build on this recipe as much as you want, tweaking it to suit your tastes and adding or leaving out ingredients to make your perfect personalized bowl of ramen.

Similar to ramen, Vietnamese pho (pronounced "fuh", by the way) is a gorgeous noodle soup that's a classic dish brimming with spices like cinnamon, cloves, turmeric, and star anise. According to Viet World Kitchen, pho appears to have originated in the modern era, first popping up sometime in the early 20th century. One story claims that it was developed to help promote a way to eat an influx of beef scraps after French colonial settlers brought in their tradition of eating cattle.

This recipe for homemade pho also incorporates plenty of fresh herbs, and in this case, cooked chicken for a protein boost. While traditional pho calls for simmering the stock for several hours, we'll let you in on a simple step that slashes the cook time down pretty considerably: use store-bought bone broth instead of making homemade stock. That way, you'll have phenomenal tasting pho in less than an hour's time.

Spice lovers rejoice! This spicy beef noodle soup recipe boasts serious chili heat and takes just 20 minutes of active cooking time. Of course, you'll need some patience before breaking out your spoon. The key to an exceptionally flavorful spicy beef noodle soup is letting it simmer low and slow for quite a while. So, yes, you'll need to do a bit of planning to get this soup just right, but remember that the results are totally worth it! 

In this dish, fall-off-the-bone short ribs and tender bok choy mingle with chili, with the heat tempered by savory, rich coconut milk. In a word: it's simply perfection. As an extra bonus, you can freeze leftovers of this soup for up to six months, making this a killer make-ahead recipe for when you need a comforting, delicious soup all ready to go.