Noodles, broth, and soft tofu
8 Asian soup recipes to make at home
These are soups you can make a whole dinner out of, with plenty of noodles, meat, or soft tofu. Have rice ready for the Korean stews! Five of the recipes take about 30 minutes, though the Taiwanese beef noodle soup and homemade tonkotsu need a much earlier start.
Updated September 7, 2026 · 8 recipes
The useful part
What should I make?
Quick noodle soup
About 30 minutes, using frozen udon and very thinly sliced beef.
Spicy tofu stew
Soft tofu, beef, and zucchini. Have rice cooking alongside it.
A bought broth
A frozen ramen kit and prepared chashu keep this to about 30 minutes. Marinating the egg is optional.
A slow braise
About three hours for the beef and spiced broth. Cook the noodles separately.
Five of these recipes take about 30 minutes, and the army stew takes 35. For the Taiwanese beef noodle soup, allow about three hours. The from-scratch tonkotsu uses a pressure cooker for its 3½-hour cooking estimate, with extra time for the pork to chill and the eggs to marinate. Start those the day before if you can; the stovetop broth alone takes 6–8 hours.
01 · about 3 hours
Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup with Beef Balls
Big pieces of braised beef and bouncy beef balls share a broth scented with ginger, star anise, and cinnamon. Give the beef enough time to become tender before you even think about the noodles. The beef balls are bought ready-made.
Get the recipe →02 · about 30 minutes, plus optional egg marinating
Shortcut Tonkotsu Ramen
This starts with a frozen Sun Noodle kit. You buy the chashu too, then cook an egg and a few vegetables while the broth heats. A plain jammy egg is absolutely fine; you don't need to wait around for it to marinate.
Get the recipe →03 · about 30 minutes
HK-Style Macaroni Soup
Macaroni in chicken broth with pan-fried Spam or ham and a fried egg. It's a Hong Kong café breakfast, but there's no reason you can't have it for dinner. Keep the macaroni separate until serving so it doesn't drink up all the broth.
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04 · about 30 minutes
Niku Udon
The beef needs to be REALLY thin here. Look for shabu-shabu or sukiyaki slices, which cook in the dashi in a minute or two. Onion and daikon sweeten the broth, and the frozen udon only needs a brief boil in a separate pot.
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05 · 30 minutes
Beef Sundubu Jjigae with Zucchini
Soft tofu in a red gochugaru broth, with beef and zucchini tucked around it. Sear the beef briefly and return it near the end so it stays tender. Add the optional egg while the soup is still bubbling, and serve with rice.
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06 · 30 minutes
Mushroom Soft Tofu Soup
King oyster, oyster, and enoki mushrooms give this soup plenty to chew on between spoonfuls of soft tofu. There is sliced beef and fish sauce in this recipe too, so despite the name, it isn't vegetarian.
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07 · about 35 minutes
Easy Korean Army Soup
Use the sour kimchi at the back of the fridge for this. Its juice goes into the pot with gochujang, Spam, sausage, and baked beans, making a salty, spicy broth in about 35 minutes. This version doesn't need ramen noodles or a slice of cheese.
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08 · about 3 hours 30 minutes
Back-Fat Tonkotsu Shoyu Ramen
This is the one where you buy pork bones, make the chashu, and season each bowl with a separate soy tare. The broth gets cloudy and rich after pressure-cooking and a vigorous boil. Read the timing note above before starting, especially if you're using the stovetop method.
Get the recipe →
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Frequently asked questions
Before you start cooking.
Which of these Asian soups take about 30 minutes?
Niku udon, beef sundubu, mushroom soft tofu soup, Hong Kong macaroni soup, and the shortcut tonkotsu all take about 30 minutes. The shortcut ramen uses a purchased kit and prepared chashu; allow extra time only if you want to marinate the egg.
Can I use store-bought broth?
Yes. The Korean stews and macaroni soup work with purchased broth, and the shortcut ramen uses the broth included in its kit. Instant dashi works for the udon. The from-scratch tonkotsu is a separate recipe built around cooking bones for the broth.
Should I cook the noodles in the soup?
For these noodle soups, cook the noodles in a separate pot and add them to the bowls at serving time. That keeps excess starch out of the broth and stops the noodles getting soft while the soup waits. Store leftover noodles and broth separately too.
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