Ching's Secret Hot & Sour Veg Soup
Published
Ching's Secret Hot & Sour Veg Soup is an instant soup powder built mostly on corn flour, with a fifth of it dehydrated vegetables. It scores EB5: nutrition is lowest because the base is starchy with little protein, ingredients hold up with few additives and no hollow promises, and risk is highest because of the very high sodium. Best kept for a rare bowl.
Ingredients, decoded
16 listed- Corn Flour
- Dehydrated Vegetables (20%)
- Carrot
- Cabbage
- Mushroom
- Iodised Salt
- Sugar
- Dried Glucose Syrup
- Dehydrated Garlic
- Flavour Enhancer (INS 635)
- Onion Powder
- Natural Colour (INS 150d)
- Chilli Powder
- Acidity Regulator (INS 260)
- Soy Sauce Powder
- Soybean
- Wheat
- Salt
- Thickener (INS 415)
- Pepper Powder
- Sunflower Oil
- Anticaking Agent (INS 551)
5½ teaspoons of sugar in every 100 g · 26.4 g total sugar, 5 g a teaspoon
| Energy | 290 kcal |
|---|---|
| Protein | 5.2 g |
| Carbohydrates | 64.7 g |
| Total sugars | 26.4 g |
| Added sugars | 9 g |
| Total fat | 1.2 g |
| Saturated fat | 0.6 g |
| Trans fat | 0 g |
| Cholesterol | 0 mg |
| Sodium | 8760 mg |
Think this score is wrong?
What to know about Ching's Secret Hot & Sour Veg Soup
A 40 kcal bowl with 60% of a day's sodium
Ching's Secret Hot & Sour Veg Soup is a 55 g sachet of instant soup powder. Corn flour leads, followed by dehydrated vegetables (20%: carrot, cabbage and mushroom), iodised salt, sugar and dried glucose syrup. Garlic, onion, chilli, pepper, soy sauce powder and sunflower oil give the hot and sour taste, along with a flavour enhancer, a colour, an acidity regulator, a thickener and an anticaking agent. You stir it into 600 ml of water, simmer for 3 minutes and get four servings.
The dry powder has 290 kcal, 5.2 g protein, 26.4 g total sugar (9 g of it declared as added) and 8,760 mg sodium per 100 g, which is about 22 g of salt. One 13.75 g serve, a quarter of the sachet, works out to about 40 kcal, 0.7 g protein and 1,205 mg sodium. The pack prints that sodium as about 60% of the daily value.
The front promises real vegetables, and the list agrees: carrot, cabbage and mushroom make up 20%, behind corn flour. The sodium is the part the front does not mention. CleanPlate scores it EB5.
Why Ching's Secret Hot & Sour Veg Soup scores EB5
Nutrition is an E: refined corn flour leads and protein is 5.2 g per 100 g. Ingredients are a B with few additives. Risk is a 5, driven by 8,760 mg sodium per 100 g.
Very low nutrient density
- Protein
- 5.2 g
- Fibre
- Not declared
- Vitamins and minerals
- None declared
- Energy
- 290 kcal
01 Nutrition density: why E
Protein is 5.2 g per 100 g, and the largest share comes from corn flour, a refined starch, so it earns little credit. Carbohydrate is 64.7 g per 100 g, so the powder is mostly starch and sugar.
No vitamins or minerals are declared, so nothing lifts the grade. A made-up serve is light at about 40 kcal, but it has little to give.
Scored on protein, fibre and twelve vitamins and minerals, against the Codex and FSSAI "source" and "high" levels, per 100 g and per 100 kcal. Protein also has to supply at least 12.5% of the calories to count, and 25% for full credit.
Good, few concerning additives
- Base
- Corn Flour
- Main fat
- Sunflower Oil
- Sweeteners
- Sugar, Dried Glucose Syr...
- Additives
- 3
- Flagged
- Caramel Colour (Class IV)
02 Ingredient integrity: why B
Corn flour leads, then the 20% of dehydrated vegetables, salt, sugar and glucose syrup. The list is short and has no hydrogenated fat, and no label promise is hollow, so the ingredient grade holds up.
The additives are what cost ingredient points. The colour listed as natural (INS 150d) is caramel IV, which costs the most. Xanthan gum (415), silicon dioxide (551) and the flavour enhancer (635) cost a little each. Acetic acid (260) costs none.
Scored on how processed the ingredients are, which additives are used and why, and whether the label keeps its promises.
Very high risk
- Added sugar
- 9 g
- Sodium
- 8760 mg
- Saturated fat
- 0.6 g
- Trans fat
- 0 g
03 Load risk: why 5
Sodium is the main driver by a wide margin: 8,760 mg per 100 g of powder, 1,205 mg in one 13.75 g serve. That alone pushes the risk number to the top of the scale.
Sugar adds to it. Because glucose syrup is listed, the sugar counted is 26.1 g per 100 g, not the 9 g declared as added. Energy is 290 kcal per 100 g. Saturated fat is 0.6 g and trans fat is 0 g, so they play almost no part.
Scored on free sugar, sodium, saturated fat and trans fat, each weighed by how strong the evidence of harm is.
Red flags
- −Red flag: High sugar (26.4g per 100g)
- −Red flag: High sodium (8760mg per 100g)
- −Red flag: Contains Caramel Colour (Class IV)
Green flags
Nothing stands out in its favour.
Does Ching's Secret Hot & Sour Veg Soup live up to its claims?
The vegetables are real but only 20% of the powder, and no preservative is listed. The retailer page and the pack disagree on timing and on which vegetables are in it.
- On the packPartly true
“Real Vegetables”
Carrot, cabbage and mushroom are real, but together they are 20% of the powder, behind corn flour. Salt and sugar are also listed ahead of the spices.
- On the packHolds
“No Added Preservatives”
No preservative is listed. The additives are a flavour enhancer, a colour, an acidity regulator, a thickener and an anticaking agent.
- On the packBe careful
“Ready in 5 Minutes”
The retailer page shows ready in 3 minutes, the pack front shows 5 minutes. The back says simmer for 3 minutes, so 3 minutes is the cooking time.
- Retail listingBe careful
“Real Shitake, French beans, broccoli”
The retailer page names these vegetables, but the pack list shows only carrot, cabbage and mushroom.
- On the packHolds
“4 Serves”
The 55 g sachet is four servings of 13.75 g, made with 600 ml of water.
What's in Ching's Secret Hot & Sour Veg Soup?
Corn flour, vegetables, salt and sugar lead the list. The salt is what to watch, with caramel colour and a few other additives behind it.
The ingredient list, read for you
Corn flour comes first, so the powder is mostly starch, followed by dehydrated vegetables at 20% (carrot, cabbage, mushroom), then iodised salt, sugar and dried glucose syrup. Garlic, onion, chilli and pepper add the heat, and soy sauce powder (soybean, wheat, salt) adds savoury depth and brings wheat.
The flavour enhancer 635, caramel colour 150d, acetic acid 260 as the sour note, xanthan gum 415 as thickener and silicon dioxide 551 to keep the powder free-flowing are the additives. Only the vegetables have a declared percentage.
Ingredients to watch
- SodiumConcern
8,760 mg per 100 g of powder, about 22 g of salt. One serve has about 1,205 mg, around 60% of the daily value on the pack.
- Sugar and glucose syrupWorth watching
26.4 g total sugar per 100 g, of which 9 g is declared as added. Glucose syrup is listed, so about 26 g is counted as free sugar. One serve has about 3.6 g.
- Caramel colour (INS 150d)Worth watching
Labelled as a natural colour, but it is caramel IV, which costs the most ingredient points of the additives here.
- Other additivesWorth watching
Xanthan gum (415), silicon dioxide (551) and flavour enhancer 635 each cost a few ingredient points. Acetic acid (260) costs none.
- Light as madeFine
About 40 kcal per serve, with 0.6 g saturated fat and no trans fat per 100 g.
What it doesn’t have
- No vitamins or minerals are declared on the panel.
- Only the vegetables as a group have a declared percentage, not each vegetable.
Who should eat Ching's Secret Hot & Sour Veg Soup?
A rare bowl for most adults and children, and one to avoid for anyone watching blood pressure, since one serve has about 1,205 mg sodium.
- Most adultsRarely
One serve has about 1,205 mg sodium, around 60% of the daily value.
- ChildrenRarely
About 1,205 mg sodium in a small bowl, with a caramel colour and little protein.
- High blood pressureAvoid
8,760 mg sodium per 100 g, and two serves pass the full daily value.
- Weight managementRarely
About 40 kcal per bowl is light, but the sodium is the limit.
Recipes with Ching's Secret Hot & Sour Veg Soup
Use less powder and add vegetables, tofu or an egg. That cuts the salt you take from the powder and adds protein to a bowl that has 0.7 g.
Vegetable-loaded hot and sour soup
Add sliced mushrooms, cabbage and carrot to the simmer, so the vegetables count for more than the 20% in the powder.
Lighter-salt bowl
Use about half the powder in the same 600 ml of water and finish with pepper and a little vinegar. Sodium from the powder roughly halves.
Tofu or egg hot and sour soup
Stir in cubed tofu or a beaten egg for protein, in a serve that has just 0.7 g.
Ching's Secret Hot & Sour Veg Soup: common questions
What is the CleanPlate score of Ching's Secret Hot & Sour Veg Soup?
Ching's Secret Hot & Sour Veg Soup is an instant soup powder built mostly on corn flour, with a fifth of it dehydrated vegetables. It scores EB5: nutrition is lowest because the base is starchy with little protein, ingredients hold up with few additives and no hollow promises, and risk is highest because of the very high sodium. Best kept for a rare bowl. Nutrition E, ingredients B, load risk 5; nutrition and ingredients run A to E, risk runs 1 to 5, and A and 1 are best.
How many calories and how much protein are in Ching's Secret Hot & Sour Veg Soup?
Per 100 g, Ching's Secret Hot & Sour Veg Soup has 290 kcal, 5.2 g protein, 64.7 g carbohydrate, 1.2 g fat and 0.6 g saturated fat. One serve (13.75 g powder, one of four servings) has 40 kcal and 0.7 g protein.
What are the ingredients in Ching's Secret Hot & Sour Veg Soup?
16 ingredients, in label order: Corn Flour, Dehydrated Vegetables (20%) (Carrot, Cabbage, Mushroom), Iodised Salt, Sugar, Dried Glucose Syrup, Dehydrated Garlic, Flavour Enhancer (INS 635), Onion Powder, Natural Colour (INS 150d), Chilli Powder, Acidity Regulator (INS 260), Soy Sauce Powder (Soybean, Wheat, Salt), Thickener (INS 415), Pepper Powder, Sunflower Oil, Anticaking Agent (INS 551). Flagged: Caramel Colour (Class IV) (low concern).
Does Ching's Secret Hot & Sour Veg Soup live up to its claims?
5 claims checked: 2 hold, 1 is partly true, 2 need care. "Real Vegetables" is partly true: Carrot, cabbage and mushroom are real, but together they are 20% of the powder, behind corn flour. Salt and sugar are also listed ahead of the spices. "Ready in 5 Minutes" needs care: The retailer page shows ready in 3 minutes, the pack front shows 5 minutes. The back says simmer for 3 minutes, so 3 minutes is the cooking time.
Who should limit Ching's Secret Hot & Sour Veg Soup?
Most adults: rarely. One serve has about 1,205 mg sodium, around 60% of the daily value. Children: rarely. About 1,205 mg sodium in a small bowl, with a caramel colour and little protein. High blood pressure: avoid. 8,760 mg sodium per 100 g, and two serves pass the full daily value.
How much sugar, salt and saturated fat does Ching's Secret Hot & Sour Veg Soup have?
Per 100 g, Ching's Secret Hot & Sour Veg Soup has 9 g added sugar, 8760 mg sodium (about 21.9 g salt) and 0.6 g saturated fat. The FSSAI and UK FSA "high" lines are 10 g added sugar, 600 mg sodium and 5 g saturated fat per 100 g. It is high in sugar and salt.
Last reviewed October 29, 2026. Scored with the CleanPlate method from the published label. Spotted a mistake? .
Label read on 29 October 2026, from photos of the pack. If the pack has changed since, tell us.
Score history (1)
| Date | Score | Method | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| 29 October 2026 | EB5 | v5.0 | History starts here |
Every change to this score is logged. See corrections and the method changelog.
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