Clear Mushroom Soup with Napa Cabbage

Last Updated October 1, 2021

A super umami vegan soup that takes only a few minutes to prepare. Another example of the classic combo of Napa cabbage (Beijing cabbage) and mushrooms that is delicious and wholesome.

If you are what you eat, then I am Napa cabbage of a great proportion!  In the days when all vegetables were seasonal vegetables, I remember my dad bringing home something like 150 pounds of Beijing cabbages (bigger families needed much more than that!), and that would be all and the only leafy vegetable for the entire winter. Those from the Southern regions are always astonished by the Northern folks’ obsession for these cabbages, but we know very well just what an incredibly versatile vegetable it is. It never gets boring!

CLEAR MUSHROOM SOUP WITH NAPA CABBAGE

(白菜蘑菇汤）

MAKE 2 servings PREP: 5 min COOKING: 5 min

Ingredients

• 1/4 of a medium sized Napa cabbage
• 1 large King oyster mushroom stalk
• 1 medium sized tomatoes
• 3 cloves of fresh garlic
• 1 tablespoon of cooking oil

Method

1. Boil 2 large serving bowls of water. Meanwhile, cut or tear by hand the Napa cabbage leaves and mushroom into thin stripes, cut the tomato into cubes and slice the garlic.
2. Heat the a wok or a pan, add the oil, sauté the garlic for 10 seconds, then add the tomato, mushroom slices and Napa cabbage stripes, in this order, 30 seconds apart, toss in between.
3. Add the boiled water, then bring the liquid back to a boil. Continue to boil for about 1 minute or until the cabbage stems are tender.

Recipe Notes

1. Substitutes: You can substitute the King Oyster mushroom with Portobello, oyster mushrooms, Enoki (golden needle), and fresh or rehydrated Shiitake mushrooms. I would stay away from supermarket white button mushrooms –  they don’t normally have the potency to flavor the soup like the other ones.