Light and packed with Asian flavors, this clear Chinese spinach soup happens to be vegan and gluten-free. An incredibly easy to make side dish that is ready in 15 minutes. This heartwarming soup pairs beautifully with other Asian mains!
Growing up in a Chinese family, there is always some sort of soup served with every meal, and this clear spinach soup is definitely one of my favorite! It is great served as a side dish along with other Chinese dishes like tofu chop suey and vegan orange chicken, but you can also simply serve them with some freshly steamed rice for a quick meal.
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💚Why you will love this recipe
- Comforting and soul-soothing - There is nothing better than a piping hot bowl of soup on chilly or rainy evenings! This clear spinach soup will help warm you up without being overly heavy.
- Bursting with Asian flavors - Although this recipe is simple, all ingredients pair beautifully with each other to create an amazing broth that is packed full of flavors.
- Easy to make one pot dish - Minimal chopping required and is ready in 15 minutes. This fuss-free recipe makes a great quick weeknight dish.
- Vegan and healthy - This Chinese spinach soup is packed with nutritious and fiber-rich spinach!
🤔What is Chinese spinach
Chinese spinach amaranth is also known as yin choy in Cantonese and xian cai (苋菜) in Chinese. It has a really similar taste and flavor to normal spinach.
They comes in 2 varieties - red and green. As the name suggest, part of the leaves of red Chinese spinach are in a vibrant shade of magenta red, while the green ones are green throughout, from stems to leaves. Both types will work great in this recipe, but if you are looking to bring some drama and color to the table, give the red ones a try!
Most Chinese spinach sold in the western Asian markets already have their roots removed, so all you need to do is to rinse them thoroughly, and they are ready to be used! If you happened to purchase them with roots, trim it off along with a 1-2 inches of stem above the root. That part of the stem tends to be tough and hard.
🧄What you will need
📃Notes/substitutions
- Chinese spinach - It can be sometimes hard to find it, so feel free to substitute with Chinese greens that are more widely available like bok choy, choy sum or napa cabbage. Do roughly slice them up before using.
- Shaoxing wine/Chinese cooking wine - Sherry and mirin can be used in a pinch, but I do recommend sticking with shaoxing wine.
- Soy sauce - Use gluten-free ones, if needed. Can be substituted with tamari.
🔪How to make
Heat up a tablespoon or so of neutral tasting oil in a Dutch oven/soup pot. Once pot is heated, place in garlic and saute for 1-2 minutes until fragrant.
Next, add in vegetable broth and goji berries. Bring mixture to a boil, then lower heat to a gentle simmer. Cook, covered for 5 minutes.
Stir in spinach and cook until they have wilted, about 2-3 minutes.
Lastly, add in shaoxing wine and half of the soy sauce. Give it a taste and add more soy sauce, if needed. Serve it while warm!
✔Helpful tips
- Make sure to use a large enough pot. You will not want to risk the soup from boiling over!
- Use a low sodium vegetable broth, if possible. As we will be using soy sauce in this clear spinach soup, your soup might turned out to be too salty if regular broth is used. Or, give it a taste before adding soy sauce so you will have a rough idea on how much should be added.
- This Chinese spinach soup is best served fresh.
- To make this soup heartier and higher in protein, you can add in some sliced silken tofu right before turning the heat off.
🥢How to serve
The best way to serve is to pair clear spinach soup with some freshly steamed rice. The rice will soak up the delicious broth readily!
To make it a heartier meal, you can serve it as a side along with other Chinese dishes like tofu chop suey, sweet and sour chickpeas, seitan stir-fry or black bean sauce tofu. Chinese spinach soup also pairs well with noodles or rice dishes like this tofu fried rice or Chinese stir-fry rice vermicelli.
❔Commonly asked questions
You can find both red and green Chinese spinach at your local Asian market. Their roots usually have been removed and are neatly packed in plastic. Refrigerate them immediately after purchase and cook them within 3 days.
If you can't find any, feel free to use other Chinese greens that are more widely available like bok choy, choy sum and napa cabbage.
Chinese spinach pretty much taste like regular spinach after cooking.
🍽More vegan Asian dishes
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📖 Recipe
Clear Chinese Spinach Soup
Ingredients
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 4 cups vegetable broth low sodium preferred
- ⅛ cup goji berries
- 7 oz Chinese spinach *
- 1 ½ tablespoon shaoxing wine (chinese wine)**
- 1-2 tablespoons soy sauce or to taste
Instructions
- Heat up a tablespoon or so of neutral tasting oil in a Dutch oven/soup pot. Once pot is heated, place in garlic and saute for 1-2 minutes until fragrant.3 cloves garlic
- Next, add in vegetable broth and goji berries. Bring mixture to a boil, then lower heat to a gentle simmer. Cook, covered for 5 minutes.4 cups vegetable broth, ⅛ cup goji berries
- Stir in spinach and cook until they have wilted, about 2-3 minutes.7 oz Chinese spinach
- Lastly, add in shaoxing wine and half of the soy sauce. Give it a taste and add more soy sauce, if needed. Serve your Chinese spinach soup while warm!1 ½ tablespoon shaoxing wine, 1-2 tablespoons soy sauce
Notes
- Make sure to use a large enough pot. You will not want to risk the soup from boiling over!
- Use a low sodium vegetable broth, if possible. As we will be using soy sauce in this clear spinach soup, your soup might turned out to be too salty if regular broth is used. Or, give it a taste before adding soy sauce so you will have a rough idea on how much should be added.
- This Chinese spinach soup is best served fresh.
- To make this soup heartier and higher in protein, you can add in some sliced silken tofu right before turning the heat off.
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.
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