Ching’s Secret Instant Soups Review – Tomato Oats & Lemon Coriander

A cold winter evening or one in the summers that call for a light dinner, soups are flavorful, soul-satisfying, and satiating. That said, preparing soup may seem like a never-ending task. Peeling, chopping, simmering, pureeing, thickening, and adjusting the seasoning. Phew! Enter- Instant soups! One ingredient, two steps, and voila! Your bowl of soup is ready just like that.

Ching’s is one of the most-loved instant soup brands in India that offers classics to unique flavors, and everything in between. In this Ching’s Secret Instant Soups review, we tasted two variants that tasted quite good! Scroll to read more on consistency, flavor, aroma, and convenience. 

Here’s all you need to know about Ching’s Secret Instant soups.

1. Package Type

These soups come in single-serving packs and larger four-serve packs. The pouches aren’t resealable. 

2. Available Flavours

Ching’s Secret Instant soups are available in the following variants-

• Mix Veg
• Sweet Corn
• Hot & Sour
• Manchow
• Tomato

The variants we tasted for our review are new launches. 

3. Price Range

Ching’s Secret Instant Soup price is Rs 15 for a 15-gram pack. 

4. Shelf Life

These instant soups have a 1-year shelf life. 

Related reading – We also reviewed three variants from the Knorr International Soups range.

While reviewing instant soups, flavor and convenience are prime parameters. Along with those, consistency and freshness are other factors we base our reviews on.

1. Main Ingredients

The prime focus here is checking the quality of ingredients. Ching’s has a ‘100% real vegetables’ claim but what is the actual content of veggies in the soup? Which ingredient is used to thicken the soup? Any artificial flavors? What about preservatives?

2. Flavor

The convenience of a RTE soup can be worthless if it doesn’t taste great.

Based on how the soups have been labeled, in terms of flavor, how prominently could we taste those flavors? Could we taste the tangy sweetness of the tomatoes? Fresh citrusy flavors from the lemon-coriander variant?

Salt, spice, the tiniest bit of sugar! Do these instant soups have balanced seasoning levels?

3. Aroma

To judge the aroma, we checked it in two stages- the dry powder stage and once when it was made into a soup. 

Does the aroma change? If yes, does the intensity change?

4. Texture

When we say the texture of soups, we are not talking about consistency. That’s different. We are talking about the veggie bits in it. Did these dehydrated veggies add a crunchy bite to our bowl of soup? In the tomato oat variant, how do the oats lend to the overall texture of the soup? 

5. Consistency

After following the preparation instructions and water to soup mix ratio, how was the result? Too watered down or just right? Are these soups rich and thick or do they have a thinner consistency?

6. Nutritional Information

Following is the macronutrient breakdown and calorie count of both variants we tried. 

Tomato Oats- 71 kcal, 1.6 grams of protein, 14.7 grams of carbohydrates (of which 5.9 grams is sugar), 0.6 grams of fat, and 717 mg of sodium. 

Lemon Coriander- 48 kcal, 0.9 grams of protein, 10.1 grams of carbohydrates (4.3 grams of which is sugar), 0.4 grams of fat, and 1014 mg of sodium. 

Here’s the detailed reviews for both variants we tried. Taste, consistency, flavors- we’ve discussed everything you’d want to know. 

1. Tomato Oats

This instant soup is a one-of-a-kind product. We’ve seen tons of quick-cooking flavored oats, but a pack of soup with oats? That’s something new. 

During the dry stage, we could see oats, some dehydrated vegetables, all combined in a mild red-colored soup mix. Following the instructions mentioned on the pack, we added the contents to a bowl with 150 ml of boiling water. Unlike other instant/RTE snacks, this soup mix must NOT be boiled. Within a minute of stirring, we had a lump-free soup! This was a seamless process. 

Oats lend a different texture to the soup. They are cooked well and have a soft bite. Do note that this is still a fluid, it does not turn into a porridge/oatmeal texture which indicates that the oat to soup mix ratio is perfect. 

In terms of taste, there’s a delectable balance between the tanginess and sweetness of tomatoes. Salt, too, has been added proportionately. Overall, this is a visually appealing soup that is sufficient for one serving.

Features

• A 20-gram pack is priced at Rs 15.
• This has a shelf life of one year.
• Main Ingredients- Sugar, Oats (25%), Potato Starch, Dried Glucose Syrup, Iodized Salt, Tomato Powder (5.5%), Pepper Powder, Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, Dehydrated Parsley Leaves, Sunflower Oil. 

Likes

• This dissolves seamlessly in water. 
• The addition of oats adds a delectable texture and makes this more filling.
• The typical tomato tangy and sweetness are brought on quite well.

Best Suited For

Looking for a filling, but light and super-convenient dinner replacement or something warm after a long day at work? This Ching’s Secret Instant soup may just do the trick!

2. Lemon Coriander

Just like the first variant, this is packed similarly. Easy-to-read instructions, a nutritional label, and an ingredient list have been provided on the back of the pack.

In the dry stage, this resembled the texture of broth powder. We could also see some chopped, dehydrated vegetables. The fresh and fragrant aroma of coriander was prominent.

Similar to the tomato oats soup, this dissolved in water effortlessly too. 

This wasn’t completely transparent, it has a very subtle olive green hue with bits of coriander leaves and carrots. 

Coming to the consistency and flavor, this instant soup wasn’t very thick. The consistency is slightly thicker than that of homemade clear vegetable soups. We really liked how robust the lemon and coriander flavors were! Super refreshing, plus they had no artificial aftertaste. In addition to this, the lemon adds a subtle zing that brings all the flavors together. 

We also liked how crunchy the dehydrated vegetable bits were, they added a nice bite. 

Features

• A 15-gram single serve pack is priced at Rs 15.
• This soup mix must be used within a year.
• Main Ingredients- Potato Starch, Iodized Salt, Dehydrated Vegetables (15.5%), Sugar, Dried Glucose Syrup, Lemon Powder (6%), Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, Mixed Spices, Sunflower Oil.

Likes

• The prominent flavors of lemon and coriander. We LOVED!
• This tastes very fresh, there’s no industrial taste.
• The veggies add a nice crunch.

Best Suited For

Need a refreshing, zingy, and herby bowl of soup? This Ching’s Soup variant also had dehydrated veggies for an added crunch!

Choosing a winner among two very delicious soups was quite a task. Based on the Team’s collective opinion, Lemon Coriander is the tastier variant. We really like how fresh the flavors are and the crunch the veggies add. 

That said, Tomato Oat Soup is quite delectable and if you prefer your soups to be slightly sweet, you could try this. 

A fast and filling fix, Ching’s Secret Instant soups are beginner-friendly. All you need is some boiling water and voila! Your lip-smacking bowl of soup is ready.

If you’re looking for something tangy or a lighter dinner, you should try Tomato Oats. On the other hand, Lemon Coriander would work well as an appetizer before a meal.

Here are some interesting FAQs on Ching’s Secret Instant Soups.

1. What’s the difference between Ching’s instant and cook up soup?

Cook Up soups have exotic veggies added to them and they need to be cooked on a stove top for a longer duration. The instant soups have veggies too, like carrots, beans, onions but you just need to add hot water, mix and consume. No need for a stove-top. 

2. Are these soups a completely vegetarian food item?

Yes, the above mentioned soups are 100% vegetarian. 

3. Can more vegetables be added to these cookup soups?

Yes, definitely! To make them more filling or up your fiber intake, you can add boiled and chopped veggies. 

4. Can these soups be consumed by children under 6 years of age?

These packaged soups contain sugar, thickeners, and other additives that one must not consume regularly. Packaged foods should be consumed occasionally.