Macaroni Soup with Ham for Breakfast in Hong Kong
The concept of a steamy bowl of soup for breakfast is common in many cultures, specifically in Hong Kong where it involves the combination of soft elbow noodles with salty ham strips in a light broth. As Ulterior Epicure points out after enjoying some recently, it's a good example of Hong Kong food since it adapts Western foods (macaroni and ham) to fit Chinese cuisine (a hot broth soup in the morning). Some even suggest throwing frozen green peas into the mix. Are you a fan of breakfast soups?
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19 Comments:
I remember eating the Hong Kong macaroni and ham soups when I was a kid. Sprinkled with a little bit of white pepper, it was a great way to start the day. Mmm.
avaryne at 8:36AM on 09/16/09
My favorite breakfast in the whole world. They usually come in sets, so you can choose a breakfast drink (tea, coffee, 1/2 tea 1/2 coffee, Ovaltine, or Horlicks) and a big piece of crustless toast with butter, peanut butter and/or sweetened condensed milk. Heaven.
Michele Humes at 8:53AM on 09/16/09
I do like the occasional soup for breakfast, especially in the winter. Miso's great.
KarynMC at 8:57AM on 09/16/09
Congee is the way to go for a traditional Chinese breakfast. Along with a fried crueller. But I relate congee as a comfort food. Something I eat when I'm under the weather or sick.
gargupie at 9:02AM on 09/16/09
I have eaten soup for breakfast almost everyday of my life since I was young. It's a warm soothing way to start your day. I love vegetable, beef barley, chicken noodle, ecarole, and in the winter creamy potato, chicken, or anything I have made a batch of. Now my daughter is doing the same. Chicken noodle before school eeveryday. When the family went out for breakfast last weekend she ordered French onion for breakfast. (Gotta love diners.) I never understood how anyone could get pancakes, bacon and eggs or cold cereal down in the morning. They are so harsh on the stomach to me.
DCLSweetspot at 9:29AM on 09/16/09
I totally remember macaroni and ham soups! Again, something that I thought was completely normal until that thought was shattered er... right now. But yeah, my mom would always tip some frozen veggie mix (corn, carrots, peas) into it :)
Vincci at 9:35AM on 09/16/09
this looks like a great breakfast to me, especially since i completely lack a sweet tooth and don't ever crave sweet breakfast options. of course, i am not one to be constrained by the idea of having to eat breakfast food for breakfast. i pretty much eat what i want when i want.
carriebwc at 9:53AM on 09/16/09
Oh my god! I had no idea that was breakfast in HK - where my parents grew up - my mom used to make something similar in cold weather and we'd just eat it the entire weekend (I wasn't a fussy kid about leftovers, in fact I loved them). She'd make a big pot on a weekend morning and throughout the weekend, while I read, studied, did whatever, I'd just flick the flame on under the pot and ladle some soup out... mmm.
Funny enough, as I got older, I equated it to being sick and something mild (and semi-bland) to eat during that time...
http://feistyfoodie.blogspot.com/2007/04/soupy-macs.html
I totally thought it was something my mom made up, lol
feistyfoodie at 10:53AM on 09/16/09
I ate pho or ramen for breakfast every day for many years. These days it's just a few times a week. Love it.
Cassaendra at 12:04PM on 09/16/09
Macaroni and ham/spam with peas in chicken broth is a childhood comfort food made by my HK born and raised mother (esp nice with a fresh baked bun with some butter). I made it in college when I was in need of simple comfort food. Pho, rice noodle soups, ramen, jook/conee - all are favorite breakfast items to this day.
manda at 12:36PM on 09/16/09
Posole is the way to go!
beano at 12:48PM on 09/16/09
i have always had this with frozen veggie mix of peas, carrots, green beans, and corn. BREAKFAST SET! some places in chicago chinatown offer set breakfasts with macaroni soup.
it makes a good hangover cure too.
mlo at 3:15PM on 09/16/09
I was immediately drawn in by the soup's photo and read both your article and the original write up. Alas, the simple recipe recitation, "...the combination of soft elbow noodles with salty ham strips in a light broth..." leaves me wholly unsatisfied. It is obvious that the centerpiece of the dish is the broth and yet no clue anywhere what it consists of. No fair, the reporting needs to improve on this one...
czken at 5:01PM on 09/16/09
@ czken: I can't give you the recipe or ingredients, exactly (because I don't know them and I didn't ask), but I'll note that the broth was made from chicken stock (hence the name, "Macaroni and Ham in Chicken Soup").
ulterior epicure at 6:44PM on 09/16/09
Breakfast soup rocks!
Wether it's a bowl of weekend pozole with that delicious espinazo (lumbar meat, anyone?) that's been simmering away for literally all of friday night, or a fiery cauldron of menudo for that hangover, brothy breakfasts are a staple at the oh_no_eric household.
oh_no_eric at 8:16PM on 09/16/09
This soup makes me feel so nostalgic. I've seen pan fried slabs of luncheon meat (Chinese imitation Spam of sorts) or hot dogs used instead of ham. Sometimes, they put an egg over easy in the bowl with the soup. I've also seen frozen carrots along with the frozen peas. Though I'm strictly a Barilla fan, I buy Ronzoni elbows explicitly for this purpose!
idriveajeed at 9:05PM on 09/16/09
Breakfast foods usually make me feel ill in the mornings, so if I can manage something brothy and warm, I will. I will have to find a recipe for this, since it looks like it can easily go gluten-free by changing the pasta.
hbomb1013 at 1:00AM on 09/17/09
Nothing is better than the Filipino ginger chicken soup with rice for breakfast. I can't remember the proper name, but the Filipino diner next to my workplace had it every morning. Chicken soup with rice, ginger, garlic, maybe lemon grass, and always a hard boiled egg hidden inside. There was always a line and great disappointment if you got there too late to get a bowl.
BelleOCosity at 2:43AM on 09/17/09
Thai style Congee for me if I have to have a breakfast soup. Still not really into it though, but it's nice on occasions.
accidentalepicurean at 10:42PM on 09/17/09