🍜 How to Make 19B Soup at Home—Easy & Delicious

🧾 Introduction 19B Soup

19B Soup is a popular Indo-Chinese/Pakistani-Chinese-style soup often served in restaurants alongside fried rice or chow mein. It’s a hearty, spicy, and savory soup filled with vegetables, chicken, and sometimes prawns or beef, often served with soy sauce, vinegar, and chili oil on the side.

Despite the mysterious name, 19B is beloved for its bold flavors, thick texture, and rich combination of Asian seasonings and stir-fried meat/veggies.

 ⚡ Quick Recipe Overview

           |         Prep Time     |         Cook Time     |         Total Time     |         Servings     |

           |         15 mins         |         25 mins          |         40 mins          |        4–6             |

🛒 Ingredients 19B Soup

🥩 Protein (choose one or mix)

• 1 cup boneless chicken, thinly sliced (or pre-boiled and shredded)
• Half a cup of tiny prawns or thinly cut beef pieces is optional.

 🥬 Vegetables

• 1/2 cup cabbage, finely shredded
• 1/2 cup carrots, julienned
• 1/4 cup capsicum (bell pepper), thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup spring onions, chopped
• 2–3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 small onion, sliced thin

🍜 For the Soup Base

• 4–5 cups chicken stock or water
• 2–3 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp vinegar
• 1 tbsp chili garlic sauce
• One tablespoon of optional Schezwan sauce (for added spiciness)
• 1/2 tsp white or black pepper
• Salt to taste
• 2 tbsp corn flour + 3 tbsp water (mixed into a slurry for thickening)
• 1 egg (optional—beaten for egg drop effect)
• A few drops of sesame oil (optional for aroma)

 👨‍🍳 How to Make 19B Soup – Step-by-Step

 🔹 Step 1: Prepare the Protein

• Add a little salt and pepper to the chicken strips and stir-fry them in a little oil until they are cooked through.  Put aside 19B Soup.
• If using beef or prawns, sauté separately until just done.

 🔹 Step 2: Sauté Aromatics & Veggies

• In a large pot, warm up 1 tablespoon of oil. Add the garlic and chopped onions and cook for 1 to 2 minutes.
• Add the capsicum, spring onion whites, carrots, and cabbage. Stir-fry on high heat until just starting to soften, 2 to 3 minutes.

 🔹 Step 3: Build the Soup

• Fill the pot with water or chicken stock.
• Stir in soy sauce, vinegar, chili garlic sauce, and Schezwan sauce.
• Simmer for 5 to 7 minutes after bringing to a boil.
• Return cooked chicken/prawns/beef to the pot.

 🔹 Step 4: Thicken & Final Flavoring

• Slowly stir in the corn flour slurry while mixing constantly until the soup thickens to your desired consistency.
• Adjust salt and pepper to taste.
• Optional: To make egg ribbons, slowly pour in the beaten egg while gently swirling in a circular motion.

 🔹 Step 5: Garnish & Serve

• Finish with a few drops of sesame oil or a dash of chili oil.
• Garnish with chopped spring onion greens.

 🍽️ Serving Suggestions of 19B Soup

• Serve hot with fried rice, noodles, or plain steamed rice
• Offer soy sauce, vinegar with green chilies, and chili sauce on the side for extra customization
• Add fried wontons on top for crunch!

 🔄 Customizations

• For a vegetarian version, use tofu and vegetable broth.
• Add mushrooms, baby corn, or bean sprouts for extra depth
• Skip egg for an eggless version