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Bok Choy Soup

Bok Choy Soup is a super quick nutrient-packed dinner that our kids love. The base of this soup is a quick ginger, garlic, and mushroom broth that tastes like it simmered away for hours.

A delicious asian noodle soup that comes together in just 15 minutes! Featuring a flavorful broth, noodles, mushrooms, and perfectly cooked baby bok choy.

bowl of bok choy soup with noodles, bok choy, mushrooms and soft boiled egg

Ready in just 15-minutes this easy soup is a go to for busy nights.

I love how soup can turn a few simple ingredients into something so delicious and comforting. Even when you need to go grocery shopping in the worst way you can make a flavorful filling soup.

Last week I needed to make lunch and I had some Bok Choy in the garden, homemade chicken broth in the freezer, and some noodles in the pantry so I made a big pot of bok choy noodle soup ,as my son calls it.

colander full of fresh mushrooms and bok choy

To be able to get pictures of this Bok Choy Soup I had to buy my toddler off with a bowl of his own with extra noodles and two halves of soft boiled egg. Then my oldest came home from school and ate everything that was left. They might like this even more than the Drunken Noodles (Pad Kee Mao).

Ingredients for Bok Choy Soup:

Garlic: I prefer to use minced fresh garlic cloves but you can always use garlic paste or garlic powder.

Ginger: minced fresh ginger or ginger powder.

Star anise: this is option but the start anise helps give the broth that delicious umami flavor quickly.

soup ingredients photo

Broth: I had chicken broth on hand or your favorite vegetable broth for a vegetarian bok choy soup.

Sesame oil: sautéing the aromatics in a small amount of sesame oil helps to create that umami flavor that makes asian soups so delicious.

Soy sauce: for that salty, savory, quick flavor boost.

Mushrooms: shiitake mushrooms or baby Bella mushrooms are my favorite for this Bok Choy soup. Simmer mushrooms in the broth gives this soup so much flavor.

Fresh bok choy: I prefer baby bok choy for its milder flavor but you can use either. Look for bok choy that has firm white stalks without brown spots and fresh green leaves.

Noodles: rice noodles, ramen noodles, buckwheat noodles…whatever you love!

featured photo of bok choy, noodles, mushrooms and spices.

Soft boiled eggs: my favorite easy protein for bok choy soup is a soft boiled egg. You can swap it for any protein you like.

Green onions: we like to garnish our soup with slices of fresh green onion

Supplies:

Dutch oven or large pot: to cook the bok choy soup in.

Knife: for prepping the bok choy and other veggies

Cutting board: to prep your veggies on

Colander: you will need a colander to drain the bok choy and noodles in.

noodles lifted out of a bowl of soup

How to Make Bok Choy Soup

Prep the bok choy by trimming the bottom of the stem just below the bottom leaves and slicing in half lengthwise. If using full size Bok Choy, quarter them instead . Rinse and clean out any dirt with cold water. Set aside in a colander to drain.

Prepare the noodles according to package instructions, set aside. You can cook them straight in the broth if you prefer but you will not have a clear broth due to the starch.

prepared noodles

In a large pot or dutch oven heat sesame oil over medium-high heat. Saute garlic, ginger, and star anise over medium heat until fragrant. Add the mushrooms, sauté 2-3 minutes, until softened.

Pour in the broth and bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for 5 minutes.

Next add the Baby Bok Choy halves. Start by cooking the white root end of the bok choy for 3-4 minutes: submerge the root in the broth but make sure the leaves are sticking out of the broth. Then rotate the Bok Choy so the leaves are also submerged. Cook for 1-2 additional minutes. The white parts take much longer to cook and this method will keep you from ending up with sad mushy leaves.

pot of bok choy soup

Add the cooked noodles and soy sauce to the soup just before serving. You can also add fish sauce or oyster sauce to the soup at this point if desired.

Top each bowl with green onion, chili oil, and a soft boiled egg. My kids love adding crispy wonton strips to their bok choy soup!

Additional Toppings:

  • Chili oil or red pepper flakes
  • Furikake
  • Sesame seeds
  • Lime juice
  • Wonton wrappers turned into delicious fried wonton strips

FAQs

What’s the difference between bok choy and baby bok choy?

The over all flavor is the same and you can use the two interchangeably but Baby bok choy are harvested earlier giving them a slightly more tender and sweet taste. Meanwhile the Bok Choy that is left to mature fully has a stronger flavor and firmer texture.

How to choose Bok Choy:

Choose bok choy that has firm white stalks without brown spots and fresh leaves. Avoid bok choy with browning or wilting leaves. Bok Choy is easy to find in most large grocery stores year round.

soaking bok choy

How To Prepare Baby Bok Choy For Soup?

Start by slightly trimming the root end of the Baby Bok Choy below where the lowest leaves attach to the stem. Then, cut the bok choy in half lengthwise. Rinse away any dirt in the layers of leaves. It is now ready to use in your soup!

How Long Does It Take To Cook Bok Choy In Soup?

Cooking bok choy in soup is quick and easy. Bok Choy cooks in 5-7 minutes. The trick for perfectly cooked Bok Choy is to not cook the whole thing at once. Start by submerging the root part of the bok choy into the simmering broth for about 3-4, next rotate the bok choy so the leaves are also submerged. This will give you fully cooked Bok Choy stems without mushy leaves!

decorative photo

How do you not overcook bok choy?

The trick to perfectly cooked Bok Choy is to submerge the white root end into the simmering broth for about 3-4 minutes to cook, then add the green bok choy leaves into the liquid and cook for an additional minute. This will give you the best texture!

What part of bok choy is edible?

All parts of Bok Choy are edible and can be consumed raw or cooked. Bok Choy, is a type of Chinese cabbage with numerous health benefits. Bok Choy is also known as Chinese White Cabbage. They have a crisp texture and very mild green cabbage flavor with a slight peppery taste.

This soup is easily customizable to accommodate a verity of diets!

Vegetarian: to keep things vegetarian use your favorite vegetable broth instead of chicken stock

Vegan: this soup is super easy to make vegan just swap the boiled egg for your favorite tofu

Gluten free: to keep things gluten free use gluten free rice noodles and a certified gluten free broth

Low sodium: to keep your bok choy soup low sodium use a low sodium broth and low sodium Tamari soy sauce.

bowl of bok choy soup
Yield: 4 servings

Bok Choy Soup

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes

A delicious asian noodle soup that comes together in just 15 minutes! Featuring a flavorful broth, noodles, mushrooms, and perfectly cooked baby bok choy.

Ingredients

  • 3 baby bok choy, halved and cleaned
  • 1 tablespoon sesame oil
  • 2 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, minced
  • 1 star anise
  • 5-6 mushrooms, sliced
  • 4 cups low sodium chicken broth
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 4 soft boiled eggs
  • 5 oz cantonese egg noodles, 2 pucks of noodles

Instructions

  1. Prep the bok choy by trimming the bottom of the stem just below the bottom leaves and slicing in half lengthwise. If using full size Bok Choy, quarter them instead .
  2. Rinse and clean out any dirt with cold water. Set aside in a colander to drain.
  3. Prepare the noodles according to package instructions, set aside.
  4. In a large pot or dutch oven heat sesame oil over medium-high heat. Saute garlic, ginger, and star anise over medium heat until fragrant.
  5. Add the mushrooms, sauté 2-3 minutes, until softened.
  6. Pour in the broth and bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for 5 minutes.
  7. Next add the Baby Bok Choy halves. Start by cooking the white root end of the bok choy for 3-4 minutes: submerge the root in the broth but make sure the leaves are sticking out of the broth. Then rotate the Bok Choy so the leaves are also submerged. Cook for 1-2 additional minutes.
  8. Add the cooked noodles and soy sauce to the soup just before serving. You can also add fish sauce or oyster sauce to the soup at this point if desired.
  9. Top each bowl with green onion, chili oil, and a soft boiled egg. My kids love adding crispy wonton strips to theirs!

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Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 206Total Fat: 11gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 195mgSodium: 385mgCarbohydrates: 14gFiber: 2gSugar: 2gProtein: 14g

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Sunday 22nd of October 2023

[…] a ton of recipes, like Bok Choy Soup, Chicken and Orzo Soup With Lemon, Chicken Pot Pie Soup or Classic Minestrone Soup. It’s a […]

Bonny Henning

Thursday 29th of June 2023

How much star anise?

Chelsea

Friday 30th of June 2023

I'm so sorry about that! It is one star anise.

Barb

Thursday 27th of April 2023

I didn't have the star anise,so instead l used a shake of Chinese Five spice.Turned out wonderful. Thank you for the recipe.

Chelsea

Wednesday 24th of May 2023

Im so glad you enjoyed it!

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