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Hong Kong Macaroni Soup

A quick and easy soup that's packed full of flavor.
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Photo: 12 Tomatoes Creative Team

Hong Kong Macaroni Soup is nostalgic in a way we all universally understand. It is the diner equivalent of a chicken noodle soup – starchy, filling, and cheap. It is a cold busting soup minus the long several hour simmer.  

Via: T1NH0/Wiki Commons

This recipe is a bit retro, deriving from the Cha Chaan Teng style of restaurants popular throughout mid-century Hong Kong, Macau, and Guangdong. Initially expensive in the 1850s, this style of restaurant gradually became more casual and affordable, serving an array of foods revolving around drinking coffee or tea.

Via: T1NH0/Wiki Commons

These restaurants specialized in Western food that probably never really existed in the West. Some dishes like Hong Kong French toast, beef satay over noodles, bolo lau (also known as pineapple buns), yuenyeung (a mixture of milk, coffee, and tea), Hong Kong milk tea, and Hong Kong macaroni soup. The foods were a fusion of two parts of the world and centered of course on the companionship of caffeinated drinks. 

Photo: 12 Tomatoes Creative Team

This recipe is amazingly simple but yields fantastic results. Once the macaroni is cooked according to package directions, a broth made up of chicken stock, oyster sauce, soy sauce, and sesame oil is brought to a simmer, just enough to blend the flavors together. 

Next, the vegetables are added. Here frozen peas, corn, and carrots are used, but you can also use fresh or canned, but those latter two options cook up quicker so keep on eye out for doneness. 

Photo: 12 Tomatoes Creative Team

Once the vegetables are added, drop in the slices of ham. The cooking process isn’t long, the soup only has to simmer enough that the vegetables and ham are heated through.

Photo: 12 Tomatoes Creative Team

Garnished with a fried egg and you’re done!

This soup is simple but crazy full of comfort. The broth is savory, with a bit of salty and sweet contrast coming from the oyster sauce. Here, the soy sauce and sesame oil aren’t overpowering in the slightest and make for the broth that’s deep and complex without the hassle of boiling stuff for hours on end. 

Photo: 12 Tomatoes Creative Team

Macaroni gives the soup a hefty carby dose, with the vegetables bringing a bright contrast in taste and texture!

Hong Kong Macaroni Soup is suspiciously simple, but is a delight to make as a soup on a busy weeknight. This speedy soup doesn’t require much fussing or prep, making it a delight for anytime and any casual occasion. 

Yield(s): Serves 4

5m prep time

15m cook time

5.0
Rated by 2 reviewers
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Ingredients
  • 16 ounces macaroni
  • 8 cups low-sodium chicken stock
  • 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
  • 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
  • 2 cups mixed frozen vegetables (peas, carrots, corn)
  • Kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper, to taste
  • 4 fried eggs, for garnish
  • 8 ham slices, for garnish
Preparation
  1. In a pot of boiling water, add salt and cook macaroni until al dente according to the box directions. Strain and set aside.
  2. In a large pot add chicken stock, oyster sauce, soy sauce, and sesame oil and bring to a boil.
  3. Add in the frozen vegetables, cooking until they are defrosted and the soup is boiling again.
  4. Season with salt and pepper.
  5. To serve, portion out the macaroni among 4 bowls, pour in the soup, and garnish with ham and eggs, enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Christie At Home.