This mian ge da tang or dough drop soup is absolutely fun to make and tasty to eat.
Although we have rice almost every day, there are times where my mama would make a quick and simple dough with soup — Meehoon (flour) kuih t’ng, which the noodle is made from a simple flour mixture, and then torn into pieces before adding to the soup — super cozy and delicious for a cold day. So, when I first tried mian ge da tang, it reminded me of the above dish but with a different way of forming the dough.
What is mian ge da tang (dough drop soup)?
Here are some of the translations of what mian ge da tang means:
- ‘Mian’ – short form for flour or dough
- ‘Ge Da’ refers to knot, dimple, warts or bump
- ‘Tang’ is soup
So, in conclusion, it’s dough knot soup but many also call this dish ‘dough drop soup’ because you literally drop the dough into the soup.
While it may seem that it doesn’t have one exact translation, but I know that this dish is super comforting and delicious. It’s really easy to make and requires some hand muscles to make the noodles. I like how you get to work out and enjoy the meal after. There are many YouTube videos that shared this way of making noodles, but I first saw it on Shan Xi Hei Ge’s account (Please note his account is not a vegan account) when I was doing some research.
How to cook mian ge da tang
First, cut your vegetables and I used ginger, tomatoes, mushrooms, green onions, and bok choy. Set them aside. Instead of using package vegetable broth, I mix a tablespoon of Yondu seasoning (made from leek) with 2 cups of water. Alternatively, you may use mushrooms seasoning if you prefer.
Now, let the fun begins. Prepare a bottle with a one-hole lid. Fill the bottle with water, you’ll only need less than 1/4 cup of water to make the noodles. Place 1/2 cup of flour in a large mixing bowl and season with a pinch of salt. Note: You’ll need a large surface bowl so the flour can move swiftly in the bowl without clumping together much.
Squeeze some water into the flour, then hold the bowl with two hands and quickly shake while moving the bowl in a circular motion (think of hula hoop) so the flour is slowly mixed with the water. Repeat until the bowl has no dry spots of flour left.
Next, prepare the soup. In a heated pot with oil, sauté ginger and mushrooms until fragrant. Add the tomatoes and cook until the tomatoes start to release their juice. In goes the spring onions, seasoning, and vegetable stock.
Bring the soup to a boil. Then, drop the dough into the soup with a sprinkling motion all over the soup. Allow the mixture to come to a boil again, then use a spatula to stir. Note: Do not stir right away after you add in the dough.
Finally, add the bok choy and cook until it’s as crisp-tender as you like. Swirl in a splash of toasted sesame oil and serve warm.
Mian Ge Da Tang Cooking Tips
- Use a large mixing bowl so you have more space to move around the flour once you added the water.
- Quick and swift movement when making the dough – Use a quick swirl movement to ‘shake’ the bowl after each water addition. If you have a helper, ask them to squeeze in the water while you move the bowl around. To prevent a big lumpy dough, you’ll need a large bottom bowl and add the water slowly.
- I see a layer of dry flour on the rim of the bowl – Don’t worry, use a pair of chopsticks to scratch so they will drop into the bowl. They will slowly mix in again when you shake the bowl.
- If you prefer not to shake the bowl, you may use a pair of chopsticks to stir while adding water gradually until lumps of flour form. It’s normal to have uneven lumps of dough which is the beauty of homemade.
- Drop in the dough in a sprinkling motion all over the soup so they they don’t clump together. Once the dough is added, do not stir and let them cook in the soup for a minute. This way, the smaller dough has a chance to cook without melting immediately into the soup.
Check out my other quick and delicious recipes:
This mian ge da tang (dough drop soup) is
- Absolutely fun to make
- Vegan
- Flexible — use your favorite vegetables
- Umami packed with tomatoes and mushrooms
- Perfect activity for family and kids
- no tool way to make noodles
If you try this recipe, I would love to hear your feedback and see your beautiful re-creation. Leave me a comment, rate it, and tag @woon.heng and #woonheng to your photos on Instagram or Facebook. Happy cooking, friends!
Mian Ge Da Tang (Dough Drop Soup)
Ingredients
- ½ cup [60g] of all-purpose flour
- a pinch of salt
- ¼ cup [60ml] water plus more if needed
- 1 large tomato
- 3 dried Shiitake mushrooms rehydrated, thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon ginger cut into strips
- 1 stalk green onion white and green part separated
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce plus more to taste
- 2¼ cups [540ml] vegetable stock see notes
- ¾ cup of leafy greens used bok choy
- dash of white pepper
- salt to taste
- a splash of toasted sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon cooking oil
Instructions
- Prepare the vegetables. Cut tomatoes into wedges and mushrooms into slices. For the leafy greens with large stalks such as bok choy, you may separate the leave and stalk so they cook quickly.
- Make the dough. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients until well-combined. Fill a one-hole bottle with ¼ cup of water. Squeeze the water in batches into the flour and start shaking while moving the bowl in a circular motion (think of hula hoop) until lumps of flour form. You may not need all the water.
- Make the soup. In a heated pot with 1 tablespoon oil, sauté ginger and mushrooms until fragrant. Continue to sauté the green onion tops.
- Add the tomatoes and cook until they release their juices. Season with soy sauce and stir in the green onion tops. Once you add the vegetable stock, add a dash of white pepper and bring it to a boil.
- Then, drop in the dough in a sprinkling mode all over the soup so the dough doesn't clump together in one place. Note: It's important that the soup is boiling when you add the dough. Let this mixture cook for another minute, then use a spatula to stir to combine.
- Finally, add the vegetables and cook until they are as crisp as you like. Taste and season accordingly.
- Swirl in a splash of toasted sesame oil or chile oil, and garnish with chopped green onions. Serve warm.
Video
Notes
- Instead of using store-bought vegetable stock, I added 1 tablespoon of Yondu, an umami seasoning made from leek in 2 1/4 cups of water. You may use mushrooms seasoning if preferred.
Feel free to pin the below picture on your Pinterest Board for easy reference.
2 cups of all purpose flour in your 3x recipe version is not 60g. I think that’s a typo. I believe it’s more like 240g as one cup of all purpose flour is about 120g.