Warm, delicious, yet light, this Chinese spinach soup is packed with Asian flavors! A quick and easy Chinese side dish that is ready in 15 minutes.
Growing up in a Chinese household, I can attest that soup is always a staple dish, and this clear spinach soup was one of my favorites. It pairs well with other Chinese dishes, such as tofu chop suey, vegan orange chicken, and oyster sauce noodles.
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💚Why you will love this recipe
- Savory, nourishing, and incredibly flavorful
- Naturally gluten-free and vegan
- Versatile and pairs well with any Asian mains
- A quick one-pot recipe that is ready in 15 minutes
🤔What is Chinese spinach soup
Chinese spinach soup, also known as 上汤苋菜 (shang tang xian cai), is one of the more popular soups that is enjoyed by Chinese throughout Asia. The Cantonese version commonly includes Chinese spinach, salted eggs, century eggs, and goji berries cooked in a clear chicken broth. Beaten eggs are also commonly added towards the end to create egg strands to create egg drop spinach soup.
On the other hand, the Malaysian version is much simpler, contains fewer ingredients, and can be made with or without eggs. Some restaurants use anchovy broth as the soup base.
To keep this recipe vegetarian-friendly, we will be using vegetable broth instead.
🧄What you will need
📃Ingredients notes and substitutions
- Chinese spinach - Also known as amaranth, it is a common Chinese greens widely consumed in Asia. It comes in 2 common varieties - red and green.
- You can find it in some groceries or your local Asian market.
- As it can be pretty hard to find outside Asia, feel free to substitute with other Chinese leafy greens like bok choy or choy sum.
- Soy sauce - This can be substituted with tamari or shoyu. Use a gluten-free brand if needed.
- Shaoxing wine - A common Chinese cooking wine. Omit to keep this recipe alcohol-free.
🔪How to make
Heat some oil in a Dutch oven. Add garlic and saute until fragrant.
Add broth and goji berries to the pot. Bring the mixture to a boil, then lower the heat to a gentle simmer.
Add your Chinese spinach. Cook for 3-5 minutes or until spinach is wilted.
Stir in soy sauce and Shaoxing wine. Your Chinese spinach soup is ready to be served!
✔Helpful tips
- Preparing spinach for cooking - Trim off the roots and the tougher bottom parts of the stem. The younger, tender stems are fine to use. Roughly tear or chop them into smaller pieces, around 2-3 inches in length. Rinse well before use.
- Use a large enough pot - This is to ensure that the soup does not boil out when cooking.
- Refrain from overcooking spinach - The spinach should be tender but not overly soft or mushy. Overcooking will also cause the spinach to turn yellowish.
- Serve fresh - Chinese spinach soup does not store well, as the veggies will turn overly soft upon reheating. It is best enjoyed warm.
✨Variations and add-ins
Spinach - You can use both red or green stemmed Chinese spinach. As it can be hard to find them outside Asia, you can substitute them with common Chinese greens like bok choy and choy sum.
Broth - You can use anchovy or chicken broth instead of vegetable broth.
Chinese herbs - Other than goji berries, some recipes also call for other traditional Chinese herbs like dong gui or ginkgo nuts.
Century eggs and salted eggs - The authentic Cantonese version contains century and salted eggs. You will need to boil the salted eggs beforehand. Slice both types of eggs into quarters and separate the yolk from the eggs.
The egg whites of both varieties of eggs can be added along with the spinach. Spare the yolks and stir them in right before serving.
Tofu - To make this soup more satisfying, try stirring in some cubed silken tofu towards the end of cooking.
🥢How to serve
Here are some of my favorite ways to serve this Chinese spinach soup:
- Rice - brown rice, Jasmine rice, fried rice like tofu fried rice
- Noodles - chow mei fun, mee Siam, tofu stir-fry noodles, chow mein
- Appetizers and sides - Tofu dumplings, vegan egg rolls, vegetable lumpia
🍽More vegan Asian dishes
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📖 Recipe
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 (optional but recommended)
- 1-2 tablespoons soy sauce or to taste
Instructions
- Preparing spinach for cooking - Trim off the roots and the tougher bottom parts of the stem. The younger, tender stems are fine to use. Roughly tear or chop them into smaller pieces, around 2-3 inches in length. Rinse well before use.
- 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
- Use a large enough pot - This is to ensure that the soup does not boil out when cooking.
- Refrain from overcooking spinach - The spinach should be tender but not overly soft or mushy. Overcooking will also cause the spinach to turn yellowish.
- Serve fresh - Chinese spinach soup does not store well, as the veggies will turn overly soft upon reheating. It is best enjoyed warm.
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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