Ramen has taken over America, and we're totally cool with that. Ramen, after midnight or at reasonable dinner hour, is hands-down one of the most comforting, savory and filling bowls of soup around. (Let's also never forget Justin Timberlake's ramen noodle hair.) A classic Japanese dish, ramen has blown up in the U.S. for a reason, but it isn't the only Asian soup worth eating at all hours of the day. There are the usual suspects you're probably familiar with, like udon, soba and miso, of course. And with the popularity of Thai food in America, most people have heard of Tom Yum. That's just the beginning.
Soup is a staple all across Asia. From Myanmar to Vietnam, soup is eaten for breakfast, and also usually accompanies a main meal. Soups run the gamut from spicy and fragrant to soothing and mild. They're filled with everything from long rice noodles to hunks of pork, and they might be meat-heavy or vegetarian. Since there is essentially an endless variety, trying to classify Asian soups is pretty much a futile exercise. Instead, we'd like to open your horizons to some of the most tasty Asia soups you should know about, when you need a break from ramen. Once you go down the rabbit hole, you'll never stop exploring. Let this short list of 21 Asian soups inspire you to fall hard for the near limitless possibilities for Asian noodles, spices, herbs and broths. Winter just got a whole lot better.