Chinese Cabbage Soup

Chinese Cabbage Soup

from greedygirlgourmet.com
Soup
20 min
4 servings
138 kcal / serving

This easy and quick Chinese Cabbage Soup is a nutritious dish on the dinner table in 20 minutes (unlike other Asian soups which typically take forever to cook!) Moreover, you can get the ingredients at your regular store without having to go to the Asian market (just substitute the goji berries with carrots.) I also show you how to make a light version for a family dinner in summer and a heartier one for winter.

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoonvegetable oil
  • 5slices fresh ginger (do not use ginger powder! wash and dry (or the oil will fly later!)but don't worry about peeking if lazy)
  • 1 tablespoonsdried shrimp (optional. washed and soaked for 30 minutes.)
  • ⅛napa cabbage
  • 1litre chicken stock/ pork stock
  • 1 tablespoonswolfberries (substitute: 1 carrot cut into rounds)
  • ¼ teaspoonground white pepper (optional. go slow and taste as you go because the flavor is strong!)
  • salt (to taste. i don't add any if using bouillon cube.)

Directions

Making the soup with ready-made stock (see section below on how to make your own stock)

  1. 1

    Over high heat, in a large pot, heat oil till shimmering then stir-fry ginger and (if using) dried shrimps till fragrant. Note: there will be OIL SPLATTER so be careful and make sure your shrimp is as dry as possible. If you're not confident of your stir-frying skills, you can give them a quick stir over medium heat instead.

  2. 2

    Add the sliced Napa cabbage to the pot. Do not stir for about 1 minute. We want to allow the leaves and ginger to char a bit for more flavor. (They should char in a few spots but not turn completely black!)Note: everyone's fire is different so if your veg is burning after less than 1 minute, lower the heat and quickly stir it!

  3. 3

    Pour in the stock carefully (liquid + oil = sizzle) and bring to the boil on medium-high heat. If using carrots, add them now too.

  4. 4

    Once boiling, lower the heat to medium and allow to simmer for 10-15 minutes. (Don't overcook the Napa cabbage to preserve its nutrients.)

  5. 5

    5 minutes before you want to turn off the fire, add the wolfberries and soaking water to the pot, simmer for 5 minutes.

  6. 6

    Season to taste with salt and white pepper (if using) then serve and enjoy.

Making chicken of pork stock

  1. 1

    Blanch the meat/ bones by covering the bones in cold water then bringing to the boil and simmering for about 5 minutes. This is necessary for pork which produces a ton of scum. (If in a hurry, you can skip it for chicken and just skim off the dirt produced during cooking with an oil strainer.)

  2. 2

    Wash the blanched meat and bones, put in a new pot or Dutch oven, add enough water to cover then simmer for at least 60 minutes. (The longer, the more flavorful the stock will be once seasoned.

  3. 3

    The best soups are made with stock that has been cooked for hours!)

  4. 4

    Once the stock is ready, you can use them to make the soup!