This Chinese Vegetable Soup is my current favourite got-no-time dinner when I’m trying to “be healthy” but still want something downright tasty. Clocking in at an extremely low 108 calories per serving, you’ll have this low-carb wonder on the table in under 15 minutes, including measuring out and chopping ingredients!
(PS If you need carbs though – I get it – here’s the Noodle Soup version here and the Rice Soup version here!)
The quickest Chinese vegetable soup
Readers sometimes call me out on my recipe cook times and I’m the first to bashfully admit that I can be a little…err….optimistic, shall we say! 😇 Today’s, however, is truly a 15 minute recipe from start to finish – and that factors in 5 minutes for the broth to come to a simmer.
I love how streamlined the workflow is for this recipe which has high appeal factor on particularly crazy days. We all have those, don’t we! You’ll be measuring soy sauce straight into the pot while the broth is heating up, chopping vegetables while the broth is simmering, and putting out bowls and spoons while the vegetables braise.
Wish more recipes were this efficient!
The soup broth is my master Chinese soup broth that is made with Asian pantry staples, flavoured with soy sauce and infused with garlic and ginger. It is the same I use for my classic Chinese noodle soup and rice soup.
I like to use enoki mushrooms because of their noodle-like-shape so I don’t feel cheated by the absence of noodles!
As for the stuff (veg!) that goes in the soup, this is truly one of those versatile recipes you can make with any cook-able vegetables you have. Chinese broccoli (Gai lan), enoki mushrooms and carrot is my default (see ingredients section below for why).
I specifically like to use enoki mushrooms because I think of them as healthy faux noodles, so I trick myself into not feeling deprived by the absence of a big wad of noodles in this soup!
TIP: Buy enoki mushrooms at Asian stores, they are way, way cheaper than at regular grocery stores.
Ingredients
The most important take-aways from this section is that you can use any cook-able vegetables and you can use as much as you can cram into the pot! I’ve listed some of my favourite vegetable combinations below.
1. The Asian infused broth
Here’s what you need for the broth. As mentioned above, it is my master soy-based Chinese soup broth. The one thing I do differently in this recipe is to add a star anise into the broth, just to add a hint of extra flavour.
Chinese cooking wine – the key ingredient! Just 1.5 tablespoons adds complexity and depth of flavour to the store bought chicken stock/broth. Without it, the soup broth will taste “flat” ie missing something.
Substitute with: dry sherry, mirin or cooking sake. Best non alcoholic substitute for this recipe: substituting some of the soy sauce with oyster sauce (which adds extra “umami” into the broth to compensate).
Garlic and ginger – Slice the garlic in half and slice the ginger into rounds to allow the fresh flavours to infuse into the broth. Keeping them whole makes it easy to pick out later – you could very well grate them straight into the broth using a fine grater, but you will get little bits in the soup (rather than being a clear broth).
Star anise (optional) – For extra flavour.
Sesame oil – Also for flavour!
Chicken broth/stock (or vegetable broth) – Use low sodium otherwise the broth may be a touch too salty for your taste. I prefer chicken to vegetable stock because I find vegetable stock a little too plain for a simple soup like this, though it’s easy to add extra oomph with a very generous dollop of your favourite chilli sauce! (See toppings below)
Use a decent stock, because it’s the foundation of the soup broth (🇦🇺 I use Campbells, personally think it’s better than other mainstream brands at regular grocery stores). Though the best is, of course, homemade. 🙂 Here’s my homemade chicken stock and vegetable stock.
Soy sauce – either all purpose or light soy sauce will work here. Don’t use dark soy sauce or sweet soy sauce – the flavour of these are too intense. More on different types of soy sauces here (it matters!).
Sugar – just a touch, to balance out the flavours.
2. THE VEGETABLES
Make this soup with any cook-able vegetables you want. This is my default combination – read below for why! PS Goes without saying that any protein would very much be at home here, whether cooked chicken, tofu, leftover Char Siu slices or some fish pieces or raw prawns.
Chinese broccoli – also known as Gai Lan, I like that you get “meatier” stalks as well as the leafy part, and that chopping it up is a breeze. No peeling, no mess, no fuss, unlike, say, a gazillion little bits of broccoli floret bits everywhere – you know what I mean! Substitute with any leafy Asian greens, broccoli or broccolini
Enoki mushrooms – As explained above, the inner-child within doesn’t feel cheated by the absence of noodles when I include these noodle-shaped mushrooms. Are you feeling amused or appalled that these are the types of thoughts that occupy by mind? 😂 And, so much cheaper than all those trendy low-calorie noodles in the health food aisle these days!
Carrots – Because I always have them, mum always told me they’re good for your eye-sight, and they add a bit of colour into the soup. 🙂
Other vegetable suggestions
As noted above, any cook-able vegetable can be used here, thus is the beauty of this recipe! Here are some suggestions and how to chop them:
Leafy Asian greens, cabbage – chopped
Mushrooms – sliced or quartered
Zucchini – sliced into half moons or like the carrot in this recipe
Eggplant – cut into bit size pieces (such great sponge for flavour!)
Green beans, snow peas, asparagus, baby corn (canned or fresh) – cut into short spoonable lengths
Broccoli, broccolini, cauliflower,
Pumpkin, celery, capsicum, onion, leek, radish, potato, parsnip, other root vegetables – chopped into small spoonable pieces
Corn kernels, peas
Frozen diced vegetables (why not? :))
3. TOPPINGS
Soups this simple benefit from toppings to take it from “tasty” to “OMG, finally, healthy food that’s sooooo gooood!!”. Here’s what I use – again, driven by staples in my pantry.
Coriander/cilantro – Some kind of herb goes a long way to lift soups, though the absence of fresh herbs does not stop me from making it. Coriander is a staple in my fridge, being a herb that is commonly used in cuisines that I regularly cook (south East Asian, Mexican, South-west) so that’s why it’s the base herb in this soup. Thai basil, mint and chives are also excellent alternatives, followed closely by regular basil (as a substitute for Thai basil).
Chilli something (optional) – A good chilli sauce, chilli paste or chilli crisp can make anything better, and it’s the perfect finishing touch here! My obsession with chilli crisps is fairly well documented in posts of recent years, with Mrs C’s Apprentice topping the list as a personal Australian-made favourite (online here, only get the OG “original” if you can handle the heat!). Lao Ganma is well established worldwide favourite. Read more about my chilli crisp recommendations in my Chilli Crisp Noodles recipe along with homemade options, photos etc.
Crispy Fried Shallots – Pantry essential! Salty, crispy little pops that I use to sprinkle on “everything Asian” from salads to stir fries to soups to noodles! They are such a regular I even wrote about them here. Find them in the Asian aisle of regular grocery stores, cheaper at Asian stores, and look for chunkier bits rather than the powdery broken ones.
How to make my quickest Chinese Vegetable Soup
The workflow for this recipe is nice and streamlined which is why this comes together so quickly.
Broth – Pour the stock into a small pot over high heat. As it is coming to the simmer, measure out and add the soy sauce, Chinese cooking wine, sugar and star anise. Cut the garlic in half, slice the ginger (no need to remove the skin) and plonk that in. (Let’s say this takes
Infuse broth (5 minutes) – Once it comes to a simmer, reduce the heat to medium/medium low to let it simmer away gently for 5 minutes.
Chop veg – While the soup is simmering, cut the vegetables, ready to toss into the soup. Chop up a green onion, rip a handful of coriander sprigs off a bunch, wash and shake dry (ain’t nobody got time to pull out a salad spinner or patting dry!).
Braise veg (6 minutes) – Put the Chinese broccoli stems, carrots and mushrooms into the broth. Simmer for 5 minutes. Push the Chinese broccoli leaves in and cook for 1 minute until they start to wilt.
And we’re DONE!! Time to serve!
Ladle the vegetables and broth into bowls.
Toppings – Mound the coriander on top, sprinkle with green onions and a generous amount of crispy fried shallots. Dollop as much or as little chilli crisp as you want/dare. Then dig in!
YUM.
I literally just had this for lunch today, 2 hours before I hit publish. And I made it yesterday too, when I filmed it.
Aside from making/eating it to publish the recipe on my website, hand on heart, this is the meal I’ve been making the most often midweek as the weather has started to cool. It’s just downright tasty, one of the best fridge-forage recipes I know, filled with good-for-you vegetables yet still downright tasty.
I feel a little bad for holding it back from you for 10 years. But it’s here now! I hope you grow to love it as much as I do. – Nagi x
Watch how to make it
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My quickest Chinese Vegetable Soup – low calorie miracle!
Ingredients
Infused Asian Broth
- 1 litre / 4 cups chicken stock/broth, low sodium (Note 1)
- 2 garlic cloves , peeled and halved
- 1.5 cm / 1/2" ginger piece, cut into 5 thin slices (optional, but highly recommended)
- 1 star anise , optional
- 1 1/2 tbsp light soy sauce , or all purpose soy sauce (Note 2)
- 2 tsp sugar (any)
- 1 1/2 tbsp chinese cooking wine (Note 3)
- 1/2 tsp sesame oil , toasted (optional) (Note 5)
Vegetables (be generous!) – or other veg Note 6
- 4 – 6 stems Chinese broccoli or bok choy, stems and leaves sliced and separated (Note 7 for how to chop)
- 1 small carrot , peeled, cut in half lengthways then finely sliced on the diagonal
- 75g / 2.5 oz enoki mushrooms ("faux" noodles!), or other mushrooms sliced or quartered (Note 8)
Toppings
- 1/2 cup coriander/cilantro sprigs/leaves , lightly packed (or Thai basil, mint, chives)
- 1 green onion , green part only finely sliced
- 2 tbsp crispy fried shallots (store bought, staple in my pantry!)
- Chilli crisp, chilli sauce or sriracha , optional
- Other ideas: sesame seeds, sliced chilli, Thai basil
Instructions
- Infused broth – Place Broth ingredients in a large saucepan over high heat. Place lid on, bring to a simmer then reduce to the lowest heat and simmer gently for 10 minutes to allow the flavours to infuse. (Meanwhile, chop the veg)
- Cook vegetables – Turn the heat up to high and bring the liquid back to a rapid simmer. Add the carrots, Chinese broccoli stems and enoki mushrooms. Cook 3 minutes. Add Chinese broccoli leaves, push in a simmer for 2 minutes until wilted.
- Serve – Pick the garlic and ginger out of soup. Divide between 2 bowls. Top with a mound of coriander, sprinkle with green onions, shower with crispy shallots, and a good dollop of chilli sauce or chilli crisp. Dig in, feel good!
Recipe Notes:
- Reduce soy sauce to 1 tbsp
- Add 1 tbsp Oyster Sauce (this has umami and will add complexity into the broth flavour to compensate for leaving out cooking wine).
Nutrition Information:
Need more low-calorie-but-still-tasty?
Don’t we all! Here are some of my favourites – or see all my Low Calorie recipes here.
Life of Dozer
May there be many more Sunday mornings like this. ❤️
Though ironically, Dozer would not agree as he would rather I schlepped to the beach at 6.30 am so he could play with his buddies, like I do almost every other weekend. But, it was pouring on the weekend so I used that as an excuse to sleep in!
In other news, I seem to have misplaced his life jacket. I know, you’re wondering how one manages to misplace a giant fluro orange jacket like this:
So I had to get a replacement – no more swimming for Dozer without one!
I found a promising sounding “sport high performance” life jacket online which offered swimming support but also good freedom for easy movement, I just received it and tried it on him.
Looking at it (below), it looks too small and doesn’t look like it will provide enough flotation support. I think it’s safer to stick with a bulkier, senior-citizen friendly version with extra flotation support to keep him nice and buoyant in the water. Safe to say Dozer’s high performance sports days are over!!
Flashback to his “high performance sports” days ❤️
Ahh Dozer. You were one sporty dog!
But I love you more today than I ever have, grey hairs, old-man problems and all. – N x ❤️
Hi Nagi! I was about to print the recipe when I noticed in the metric measurements it says only 750 ml of chicken stock, whereas the cups measurements say 1l / 4 cups. I assume it’s the latter, but I thought you might want to know.
By the way, congratulations on the new book!! I guess I’ll have to get that one too!!
Looks beautiful! Can we put tofu in it somehow? If so, firm or soft, silken? I just want to increase the protein content
So nice to see old flashbacks of Dozer and the last paragraph is just so touching.
Hi Nagi, my wife and I love asian noodle soups and make them regularly. We’re big fans of Japanese soups and often add tsuyu to give them that unmistakable Japanese flavour. What changes would you recommend if we added tsuyu? Thank you kindly, Pete
We absolutely loved this! Quick and easy but still so so tasty. I’ll be making it often. I did find the soy sauce flavour was very strong, even though I used light soy sauce as per the recipe. I’m wondering if perhaps I’m using an inferior brand. What’s a good one to use? I used Pearl River Bridge. Is there a better one? (I’m in Australia 😊) Thanks for another great recipe.
I’ve tried quite a few different soy sauce brands over the years, and the Pearl River Bridge brand is pretty solid for the price. That being said, I prefer to go to the Asian supermarket and get the ‘gold label’ instead of the silver they sell in the supermarket. It’s a pretty good Chinese soy for the price. But if you found the soy sauce flavour too much, just add less, friend- or switch to a Japanese soy, as that’s a slightly different flavour that you might enjoy more, Kikkoman being the easiest to get a hold of Australia wide. Hope that helps.
No. I haven’t cooked it yet. I’m just dribbling and drooling. It looks divine. As for Dozer, I love him, not ever having touched him, I can feel him. He is what my Bugsy of 14 years was for me. I wish Dozer good health. Hugs for him
I hope I have Dozer for 14 years!! Hugs happily passed on 🙂 N x
Nagi,
My family think I am an amazing cook. It’s all because of you and your amazing recipes. Thank you for always having great and easy recipes. Loved this broth.
I’m so glad! Simple but good 🙂 I use it a LOT! N x
Thanks for sending all the pictures of you and Dozer at the beach. They brought tears to my eyes!! I hope he’s doing all right.
Aww thanks Marca! He is doing GREAT actually. I still think he has more to go – I’m going to keep working on him! N x
Delicious and very quick! Used mushrooms, carrot and warrigal greens plus 2 “bunches” of soba noodles (as needed the carbs!) Hopefully family does not discover my leftovers… very good for a speedy lunch between uni assignments.
That’s great Njb! I’m so glad you enjoyed it! N x
Regrettably, partner discovered it and ate up all the leftovers (cold!) in one sitting… and not a wiffle of a complaint that it was vegetarian! And then requested it to be made again asap… Will only add one bunch soba noodles this time. Really, really good recipe.
Hi Nagi
You are always my first port of call for any recipes I think up to cook…I, like I am sure many others worship what you do and love how detailed and helpful your recipes and notes are.
Love the look of your latest here, the Chinese soup!
I might try it with chicken as you suggested.
Loving hearing about precious Dozer☺️
Having lost our doggie a few years ago at 18, I am loving seeing and hearing about every other dog I see especially Dozer. I always fill my husband in on what you have been keeping us up to date with, with him❤️take care from the Blue Mountains in NSW
You are so lucky you had your fur ball until 18! That’s amazing, you must’ve looked after him/her so well. 🙂 N x
Found this and thought of Dozer. You may already be aware of this chair for a dog with digestive problems. In case I thought I would pass it on. Love your recipes and Dozer have 2 dogs in the family. “Type in “Dog has a digestive issue so his family made him a chair so that he can actually eat.” Through Reddit
Aww thanks Cheryl! I am aware of them. Dozer is just too large for it, too much pressure on his elderly spine! At this stage his digestive issues are not so bad that he needs to sit in a begging position, so just a slight incline is ok to coax the food down his throat. HUGS to your fur babies!! N xx
Forgot to add the stars with my comment!
This is a keeper and love that it’s so few calories. I added a Birds Eye chili 🌶️ and have a little fire happening in my mouth right now but we like spicy. Also added lots of bean sprouts.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it Amanda!! it’s great for such a low-cal meal, isn’t it 🙂 If only healthy eating was always this delicious!! N x
Group hug!!!!
We had your jalapeno poppers tonight. A favorite of ours!!
OMG! I love those!
Hi Nagi
How right you are about Dozers” floaty” but I’m sure someone has picked it up and will return it to him pronto.
Best thing in ones world is ones buddy, unconditional love to the end.
I hope so! I just have no idea how I can lose such a big thing 😂
It was very good! Will be making again!
I’m glad you enjoyed it Jessica!! N x
Hi Nagi
Loooking forward to trying your Chinese veg soup.just one query – when do you remove the ginger, garlic and star anise from the broth ?
Thanks
Mary
Hi Mary! I’m sorry, I always forget that step and end up picking them out as I eat! 😂 Pick them out when you’re serving. It’s easy because they are big pieces. I’ll update the recipe now! N x
I am so happy to see Dozer well. My golden turned 13 in May and has slowed immensely. Having the ACL surgeries, he gets a bimonthly shot and on rainy days, he is extra stiff and I help him up so he doesn’t struggle. So now I have someone else who gets stiff. They really are our hearts, aren’t they.
I am in the Dallas area and the weather has been truly bad. Worse than the hurricanes I went through in some ways since it will. Not. Stop. Storming. I’m grateful I have a gas stove (no electricity) and I actually attempted to make an Asian chicken vegetable soup with no recipe. I couldn’t get online since it didn’t work most of the time and any attempt drained the batteries of my devices. There was something missing. Then you posted this! Total kismet! And of course, it was the Chinese cooking wine. I used mushrooms, snow peas, cabbage, spinach, leeks and shredded carrots. I also had chicken mince that I mixed with Chinese five spice, minced garlic, and minced ginger and scooped small chicken meatballs into the broth to cook.
The Shaoxing Wine is truly essential. I don’t know enough about Asian cuisine to just create without guidance. It may have occurred to me if I could see in my dark pantry and I saw the bottle. I also invested in some premium soy sauces and I the once I used wasn’t as salty so I think I missed that. I did add Thai basil from the garden since I couldn’t get cilantro. Also added a squeeze of lime.
Thanks so much for posting because I will try this again with your flavorings and not mince and sauté the aromatics.
Hello Staci, I was thinking of adding prawns, for some protein, but love the idea of your Asian inspired chicken balls.
May I ask how much Five Spice you added to how much mince?
Love hearing about the care you’re giving your beautiful boy. He is lucky to have you ❤️ Dozer had his ACL done 5 years ago so I know what you’re going through. Do you have one of those help-me-up slings? I was just using a towel but then I learned of purpose made harnesses with handles. HUGS to your boy! N x
Not a cookery note, this is a Dozer note.
I really love watching Dozer when he’s enjoying playing, especially in the water. Give him lots of hugs from halfway round the world, England!
I love the non-cookery Dozer messages the most!! 🙂 HUGS happily passed on (though when I buried my face in his neck, I got a massive whiff of what I think is duck poo…so THAT’s what he was rolling in this morning! ICK!)
Honestly I think if you stopped (the horrors!) writing recipes, and only wrote about Dozer, I’d still follow your every word and picture!!!
Even though I have my own little sweetheart fur-ball, Dozer ‘s also has captured my heart.
BA HA HA! And you know secretly I LOVE hearing that!! Hugs to your fur ball 🙂 Let’s enjoy every day we have with them!! N x