Dried Vegetable Soup (菜乾湯)

Name: Dried Vegetable Soup (菜乾湯)
Prep time: 240 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 450 min
Ingredients: 2 1/2 L / 10.5 US cup chicken and pork stock; 100 g / 0.22 lb choy gorn/dehydrated bok choy ((roughly one packet)); 3 honey dates; 4 dried red dates ((a.k.a. jujubes)); 3 rehydrated shiitake mushrooms ((water squeezed out)); 1 tsp salt ((or to taste)); 1 tbsp chicken bouillon powder

Grandma’s Dried Vegetable Soup is hearty and loaded with tons of delicious goodies to munch on! It’s made using classic Chinese ingredients, so you can trust that you’re getting a truly authentic experience. Each drop is flavored with earthy shiitake mushrooms, sweet red and honey dates and umami-packed sun dried bok choy!

Another one of Grandma’s treasures

There are many of Grandma’s soups that I get excited for, but I’ll happily skip past all the side dishes to enjoy a large bowl of her Dried Vegetable Soup. It’s extra special because the family usually has it close to Lunar New Year banquets, so the dish comes with all the bells and whistles of my favorite celebration!

The best part is biting into the vegetables. Grandma would have simmered them long enough for the strands to start melting in your mouth until you reach the inner layer. When you get there, every chew oozes with the sweet and savory taste of the bone broth and dried dates.

Much like Stir Fried Eggplants and the leaves in Stir Fried Water Spinach, dehydrated bok choy absorbs the essence of all the ingredients it cooks with. They get so packed with seasoning that you end up with flavor explosions the entire time.

Pair that with the fact that it’s super easy to make and you have a soup recipe that’s worth trying out this weekend!

What is choy gorn?

Dried bok choy in its packet next to some in a bowl.

What it is

When you dehydrate bok choy under the sun or in an oven, you end up with what we call ‘choy gorn’ (菜乾) in Cantonese. Much like other packaged vegetables like the mui choy we use for Braised Pork Belly and Mei Cai Kou Rou or the pickled mustard greens that we add to our Gua Bao, choy gorn needs to be washed thoroughly to remove unwanted impurities and parasites.

You can find them in Asian supermarkets, particularly those with a heavy Chinese influence. They’ll be packaged in plastic bags and left near other dried produce.

Taste

At home, we like to have our dehydrated bok choy in soup or cooked in congee. Its flavor is deep and earthy with a mild floral kick. When cooked for some time in liquid, the stems and leaves will soften but still hold their structure.

You may find some harder parts where the stems join, so it’s important to cut them off after the soaking.

Health Benefits

Choy gorn is said to cool the body down in a similar way that Chinese Herbal Tea (涼茶) does. These benefits include assisting with coughing, keeping the lungs moist and minimizing mucus.

It is also said that for people with weak spleens, they are to avoid consuming it.

For everyone else, Dried Vegetable Soup is the way to go!

Dried Vegetable Soup in a pot with chopsticks holding some vegetables up.

What you’ll need

A bowl of dried bok choy along with dishes of salt, dried red and honey dates, dried shiitake mushrooms and chicken bouillon powder.

About the ingredients

We get all the ingredients from Asian supermarkets in the dried goods section. They’ll be sold separately in plastic bags, so just reseal and store what you don’t use for future recipes.

How to make this recipe

Bring the stock to a simmer, then add the dried red and honey dates, shiitake mushrooms, salt and chicken bouillon powder in.

Meanwhile, rinse the dried vegetables in cool water, then soak for 30 minutes. Give the batch another rinse after this and soak for another 3 hours or until the stems have softened.

Note: The stems will expand and rehydrate until they’re white again. This is when they’re ready.

When rehydrated, pour the contents into a colander and wring the vegetables dry.

Cut off the hard ends at the base of the bok choy using scissors.

Dried Vegetable Soup in a pot on the stove.

Turn the heat of the soup up to a boil, then add the choy gorn into the pot. Let it simmer for 20 minutes.

Serve immediately as is!

Recipe FAQs

What can I substitute for choy gorn?

If you can’t find any in store, you can replace it using watercress for a similar deep flavor. They’re not the same, but when cooked down will both have a mild savory taste.
Alternatively, sun dry some bok choy to use for this recipe.

Why are the vegetables tough?

If they’re not soft, it could be that they weren’t soaked or cooked for long enough. You can let it simmer for longer until they’ve softened to preference.

How long can I store it for?

Let the Dried Vegetable Soup cool completely, then transfer it into smaller fridge-safe containers. You can leave it in there for up to 3 days. Always remember to use clean utensils to scoop the contents out.

Tips for the best results

Wash the bok choy well. This removes any excess sediment or impurities so you have a cleaner broth.
Double boil the stock. You can reduce the amount of floating scum if you do this, which also makes the soup clearer and smoother.
Let it simmer with the lid partially on. Closing it completely can raise the temperature too quickly and result in boiling the soup. You want a slow simmer for a clean taste.

What to serve it with

Steamed Oysters with Ginger and Shallots is a light start to any meal.
Fill up everyone’s rice bowls and enjoy some classics like Grandma’s Chicken and Vegetable Stir Fry, Braised Pork Belly with Preserved Mustard Greens and Chinese Steamed Egg (蒸水蛋).
Kick things up a notch with a drizzle of Sichuan Garlic Chili Oil.
Papaya and Snow Fungus Dessert Soup is a fruity, comforting and fresh way to end the night.

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