Chinese Cabbage Soup
Classically simple clear soups such as this one are served in many Chinese homes. It’s consumed as a beverage throughout the meal, so it must be light and refreshing. The Chinese leaves add a touch of sweetness while the preserved vegetables add a nice bite.
Top tip: If you want the soup to be completely vegetarian, you can substitute water or vegetable stock for the chicken stock.
Serves: four
Ingredients
- 2 litres of chicken or pork stock
- 450g Chinese cabbage (shredded width-wise)
- 125g Sichuan preserved vegetables (rinsed thoroughly and finely chopped)
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce
- 2 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 2 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry
- 2 tbsp sugar
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 2 tbsp sesame oil
Garnish
- Spring onions (chopped)
Method
- Put the stock into a medium-sized pot and bring it to a simmer.
- Add the Chinese cabbage and preserved vegetables, then simmer for 3 minutes.
- Next, add the soy sauces, Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry and sugar to the simmering stock and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Salt and pepper to taste, then stir in the sesame oil. Transfer to a large soup tureen or individual soup bowls. Garnish and serve at once
