Chinese Vegetable Soup: Practical Takeout-Style Soup at Home
Looking for a satisfying soup that’s vegan and gluten free? Then try this Chinese vegetable soup. It mimics the takeout experience at Chinese restaurants in the US. The soup is full of flavor yet quite light. But it’s still robust enough to soothe your senses and keep you feeling full.
This One is Fully Vegan
You’ve likely searched for Chinese vegetable soup recipes before and if so, you may have noticed chicken broth as an ingredient. However, this soup doesn’t use chicken broth at all! That’s good news if you’re vegan or vegetarian.
How to Make a Rich Chinese Vegetable Soup
What gives it that special flavor? It’s all the ginger, mushroom powder, simple seasonings, and the combination of vegetables used in the soup that give you the flavor. Now, if you’re not vegetarian or vegan, it’s certainly OK to use chicken broth instead of water if that’s what you prefer. However, I think it tends to overwhelm the lovely flavor of all the different veggies.
How to cut carrots into diamond shapes
To slice the carrots into diamond shape: Of course, you can simply slice the carrot into round pieces but I thought I’d share how to cut this one like my mom does 🙂
Not Eaten in China, but Chinese in Spirit
Another thing that’s a bit amusing is that in China, we don’t have this dish. This Chinese vegetable soup you often find in restaurants here is made from produce that is commonly found in the US, such as broccoli. However, it carries with it the same spirit as a proper Chinese soup, with water, seasonings, herbs, and vegetables for a quick and comforting soup that makes a light lunch or a perfect beginning to dinner.
Don’t Leave the Ginger In
One thing I do advise is that you take the time to strain out the aromatics, particularly the ginger, before serving. It not only creates a better presentation but also keeps you from accidentally chomping into a large chunk of ginger. However, if you’d rather skip that step, it’s totally fine, but take care not to bite into any of the aromatics while enjoying the soup.
Great for Meal Prep (If it Lasts!)
Make a big batch of Chinese vegetable soup and you can enjoy it all week long. But if you’re like my husband and me, it will likely be gone faster than you expect!
Delicious takeout recipes to serve with
Real Deal Sesame NoodlesVegetarian Mapo TofuVegetable Lo MeinSoy Sauce Fried Rice (酱油炒饭)Kung Pao Cauliflower (宫保菜花)
Lilja Walter is a part of the Omnivore’s Cookbook team and worked closely with Maggie to develop and test this recipe.
