Chinese Cabbage Soup (紹菜汤)

Grandma’s Chinese Cabbage Soup is an ultra soothing weeknight regular that’s incredibly cost effective. Feed the whole family with just half the vegetable and save the rest for another favorite dish. This Cantonese classic has such incredible depth of flavor that you’ll never guess it uses just 5 ingredients!

An understated yet warm experience

Mum has always said that Grandma’s soups were the best. After almost three decades of enjoying many full bowls (and often seconds) for dinner, I can say that she’s 100% right.

All of my favorite soups (lotus root, chicken feet, fish maw and watercress) have a few things in common: they’re humble, comforting and made with love. In my eyes, that makes a winning combo.

But there’e just something about Grandma’s Chinese Cabbage Soup that makes my body cheer with barely contained excitement whenever I see it brewing on the stove.

Maybe it’s the silky leafy green that all but melts in your mouth as soon as it touches your tongue. Maybe it’s the gentle savory undertones that have been unearthed from hours of slow simmering.

Or maybe it’s the fact that such a simple soup will complement any dinner spread so that all you’re left with are great conversations around the family table!

All about siu choy

What it is

Chinese cabbage is a leafy vegetable that has a variety of names. In Australia, we sometimes call it ‘wombok’, but my Cantonese family has always referred to the green as siu choy (紹菜). You might also find it labelled as ‘napa cabbage’, which has Japanese origins.

It is often sold at Asian supermarkets in large bulbs or halved and wrapped in plastic. When uncooked, it’s a firm pale vegetable with tender light green leaves. The leaves are connected by a firmer core which can also be eaten if cooked.

Taste

There isn’t much taste to siu choy but it’s a popular culinary choice in Asian cuisine because when it’s cooked with other ingredients, the leaves will absorb all the flavors.

Under a quick high heat they will also retain their crunch, much like when you stir fry water spinach or mustard greens.

The vegetable is great for soup stocks because of its natural sweetness. Mum always uses it to make a base stock for all her vegetarian recipes, including Phở, Bánh Canh Chay, Bún Riêu Chay and Bún Bò Huế Chay.

Health Benefits

You’ll be happy to know that wombok comes loaded with nutrients! For such a simple recipe, your family will enjoy the benefits of antioxidants and vitamins, including vitamins C and K.

It’s also a natural source of potassium, iron, magnesium and calcium, which can assist with regulating bodily functions.

Make these benefits a regular part of your family’s diet with a delicious and nutritious Chinese Cabbage Soup!

Why this recipe works

• Adding carrots infuses another layer of natural sweetness that you won’t get with sugar.
• The seasoning is kept simple to let the vegetables really shine.
• Using a homemade chicken and pork stock works as a rich flavor base.

What you’ll need

Recipe modifications

We use carrots to add texture, color variation and a different layer of sweetness, but you can also add in your favorite vegetables. Options that would work well in this recipe include daikon, jicama, beetroot and wintermelon.

You can also make this vegetarian by using a vegetable stock instead.

How to make this recipe

Quarter the siu choy, then remove the core that holds each leaf together.

Gently separate each leaf into a colander.

Optional: You can halve them along their length so that it cooks faster. It also helps with fitting into smaller pots.

Soak the leaves in cold salted water for a few minutes, rinse them clean and repeat another 3 times to remove any impurities.

When clean, let it drip dry in a colander.

Peel and cut the carrots into slices roughly 1/2cm (0.2″) thick. We like to cut ours at a diagonal, but this is completely optional.

Bring the stock to a boil and add the carrots, siu choy, salt and chicken bouillon powder in. Let it simmer on low-medium heat for 20 minutes or until soft.

Serve hot as is!

Recipe FAQs

Tips for the best results

• Use fresh ingredients. Nappa cabbage can wither rather quickly, so make sure to use it as soon as you buy it so that the soup stays flavorful.
• Simmer for longer. This helps the savory seasoning get absorbed into the leaves, making them incredibly tasty.
• Season the stock at the beginning. By doing so, the seasoning starts getting infused early on so there’s increasingly more flavor over time.

Make it a cozy family meal

Cook up a pot of rice because this weeknight tradition is on its way:

• Call everyone to the table with freshly Steamed Oysters with Ginger and Shallots.
• You’ll want simple and humble flavors to match this recipe, so Braised Chicken with Mushrooms, Black Fungus and Lily Flowers (金針雞), Steamed Pork Belly with Salted Radish, Chinese Broccoli (Gai Lan) with Oyster Sauce and Steamed Three Colored Eggs (三色蒸水蛋) will balance it beautifully.
• Bring dinner to a gentle finale with a tong sui like our Bean Curd and Ginkgo Nut Dessert Soup (腐竹白果糖水) or Hashima Dessert Soup (雪蛤膏糖水)!

Want more home cooked recipes?

Subscribe to our email list and be the first to get recipe updates as soon as they’re posted. You can also follow Wok & Kin on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook and Twitter!

Join the family!