This Malaysian-inspired Chinese vegetable soup, or ABC soup, is nourishing, light, and comforting. A highly versatile, one-pot recipe that is ready in 30 minutes.
Other than basic rice cooker congee, one of the first things I learned to cook from my mother was this Chinese vegetable soup. This nourishing recipe is delicious, packed with nutrient-rich vegetables, and easy to make.
To make it a meal, I will usually serve it with steamed rice and Chinese mains like black bean sauce tofu or Hunan tofu. I particularly like pairing it with my vegan lettuce wrap for a filling, meatless dinner!
🤔What is ABC soup
ABC soup is a popular Malaysian Chinese soup consisting of chicken and vegetables such as potatoes, carrots, and onion simmered in broth. It gets its name from the nutrients the vegetables provide (vitamins A, B, and C). It is also easy to make - as simple as ABC!
Every household put its spin on it, customizing the dish to their liking. As a vegetarian, I will make a meatless variation using vegetable broth instead of chicken broth.
🥕What you will need
📃Ingredients notes and substitutions
- Vegetables - Feel free to add or swap with other vegetables. For a list of vegetables that work in this soup, check out the section “Variations and add-ins” below.
- Potatoes - Although commonly used in the traditional recipe, you could omit it to make this recipe lower in carbs.
- Vegetable broth - Or bouillon/vegetable stock powder dissolved in warm water. You can use chicken broth as well.
🔪How to make
- Step 1: Heat some oil in a Dutch oven/soup pot. Start by sauteing onion until translucent.
- Step 2: Next, add all your veggies and saute for a few minutes or until they soften slightly.
💡Tip
Use a large enough pot to cook your soup to prevent it from boiling out.
- Step 3: Pour in stock and water, and bring the mixture to a boil. Lower heat to a gentle simmer, and cook with the lid on for 15-20 minutes.
- Step 4: Season it with salt and pepper, and serve it while hot!
✨Variations/add-ins
Making it in the crockpot/slow cooker - To cook Chinese vegetable soup in the slow cooker, simply add all ingredients to the pot. Cook for 5-6 hours at low or 2-3 hours at high.
Vegetables - Below is a list of vegetables that work in this soup:
- Cabbage or napa cabbage
- Beetroot
- Corn on cobs
- Mushrooms - Halved or quartered. Rehydrated dried shiitake will also work
- Zucchini
- Broccoli or cauliflower florets
- A bag of frozen vegetables for a more convenient and quick option
Protein - Add a source of protein, such as skinless chicken breast or drumstick, to the soup. You could also top it with shredded rotisserie chicken.
Plant-based options such as silken tofu, firm tofu, seitan chicken breasts, and chickpeas will also work.
Noodles - To make it a meal, you could serve soup with cooked noodles such as soba, udon, or rice noodles.
Chinese herbs - For a more aromatic soup, you could add traditional Chinese herbs such as goji berries, Chinese yam (wai san), and dried red dates.
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🍚How to serve
Rice and noodles - Pair ABC soup with white or fried rice (like my vegan egg fried rice and vegetable fried rice) for a satisfying meal. You could also do oyster sauce noodles or vegetable mei fun.
Mains - I like serving it with protein-rich Asian mains such as vegan orange chicken and tofu chop suey.
Sides - You could make classic side dishes such as egg rolls (or vegan egg rolls), soy sauce green beans, or vegan wontons.
❄️Storing suggestions
Fridge - Chinese vegetable soup can last in the refrigerator for 3-4 days in an airtight container. Allow it to cool down slightly before storing.
Freezer - Portion soup using souper cubes or containers and freeze them for up to 3 months.
Reheating - Allow frozen soup to defrost overnight in the fridge. Then, you could reheat it on the stove or microwave until hot.
💚Why you will love this recipe
- Comforting and soul-soothing, making it the perfect cold-weather meal
- A highly forgiving recipe with most ingredients swappable
- Nourishing and is packed with nutrients and fiber
- Simple to make and only requires one pot!
📖 Recipe
Chinese Vegetable Soup (ABC soup)
Equipment
- Dutch oven or soup pot
Ingredients
- 1 medium yellow onion sliced into thick strips
- 2 tomatoes quartered*
- 2 ribs celery diced
- 1 carrot diced
- 1 potato diced
- 2 cups vegetable stock
- 2 cups water
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat up a tablespoon of neutral oil in a Dutch oven/soup pot. Once pot is heated, add in onion and saute for 2-3 minutes, or until translucent.1 medium yellow onion
- Next, add in all veggies, and saute for 4-5 minutes, or until they have soften slightly.2 tomatoes, 2 ribs celery, 1 carrot, 1 potato
- Pour in vegetable broth and water, and bring the mixture to a boil. Lower heat to a gentle simmer, and cook, with the lid on, for 10-15 minutes.2 cups vegetable stock, 2 cups water
- Season it with salt and black pepper. Serve it with a side of rice, or whatever you like!
Notes
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Nutrition
Nutrition info calculated is just a rough estimate and is provided as a courtesy. Bear in mind that value will vary based on variables like specific brand or type of product used. To obtain the most accurate representation, it is highly recommended that you calculate it on your own with the actual amount and type of ingredient used.
Graham Lloyd says
I made this soup tonight for upcoming meals. Easy to make, affordable and very tasty indeed - even with my modest cooking skills. Thank you!
Meesha says
So happy to hear that!😁