Chinese cabbage soup is a warming, comforting and soothing soup perfect for a weeknight regular. This humble soup has an incredible depth of flavor while cooking in any stock as the cabbage acts like a sponge, absorbing any flavor available.

It is easy to prepare and nutritious. The Chinese cabbage recipe is also highly versatile since you can substitute the protein and stock based on your preference.

I will make some pork balls to flavor the soup in this article. But, of course, you can omit it by just using homemade chicken stock or even with chicken bouillon.

Chinese cabbage has a few different names. It is also called wombok cabbage, napa cabbage, and siu choy. The Mandarin name of Chinese cabbage is called 大白菜, and in Cantonese is better known as 黄芽白.

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Variations of Chinese cabbage soup

My go-to recipe for Chinese cabbage soup is to add some carrots for the sweetness and color. Primary aromatics such as garlic bulbs and ginger slices are also included, but since I am making pork balls this time, I minced the garlic and ginger and combined them into the pork balls. 

Besides that, you can also add some shitake mushroom, potatoes, sweet corn, and daikon to flavor the soup.

The protein can be ground beef or leftover shredded turkey meat, or even chicken thighs. If you only intend to make a soup without meat, then add some firm tofu, and cooking the cabbage with a good soup stock is the way to go. 

Here is how to prepare the Chinese cabbage soup with meatballs in detail.

1. Cut and clean the cabbage

Chinese cabbage is a pale vegetable with light green leaves connected to a large bulb that is near-white. Some supermarkets halved the large Chinese cabbage lengthwise and wrapped it in plastic. 

Here are the steps:

1. Cut the Chinese cabbage lengthwise into four quarters.
2. Chop off the part near the stem, which is hard. 
3. Separate the leafy and the firm bulb by cutting it crosswise into two.
4. You can halve the green leaves if they are too big. Then, cut the bulb into half-inch length crosswise.
5. Separate the leaves and rinse with water to clean and remove any dirt.
6. Drain in a colander.

2. Use the stock of your choice

A good stock is essential to make this soup since Chinese cabbage does not taste much. One way is to use chicken bouillon to make the soup. However, it certainly tastes better if you use homemade chicken stock or pork broth. Alternatively, you can use miso soup as the soup base or add dashi granules to prepare the stock.

Since I intend to make a one-pot meal, I include some pork balls to boil briefly to give it a savory undertone. Therefore, I used some chicken stock diluted with water to make the soup because the meatballs will provide plenty of flavors.

Another alternative is to include some pork bone or pork ribs to prepare the soup base.

3. Make some pork balls

The pork balls are loosely based on the lion head pork balls 狮子头 recipe, which I posted earlier. They are made with minced meat, with some fat to make it tender. You can mince the meat or get the butcher to do it for you.

Here is how to prepare the pork balls:

1. First, place the minced meat in a large mixing bowl.
2. Then, add minced ginger and garlic to produce the classic flavor of Cantonese dishes.
3. Include some finely chopped water chestnuts.  It adds some crunchiness and helps to soften the mincemeat. You can use finely chopped onion to substitute the water chestnuts.
4. Season with light soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, ground white pepper, sugar, and salt. I add more salt than usual to allow part of it to dissolve into the soup since the pork balls are boiled in the soup briefly.
5. Some cornstarch acts as the binding agent.
6. Combine all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Then lift the meat paste and slam it against the bowl repeatedly. This step is a classic technique to make the meatballs more bouncy and the ingredients more cohesive, preventing them from disintegrating.
7. Portion the meatballs to about one inch in diameter.
8. Roll the meatballs in some cornstarch, and set them aside.

Pan-fry the meatballs

1. Heat some oil in a frying pan. I use a nonstick pan to minimize the amount of oil required.
2. Gently roll the meatballs into the pan. Pan fry over low heat to ensure the inner part of the meatballs is cooked when the surface turns golden.
3. Remove the meatballs from the oil.

4. Boil the cabbage soup

Boiling the soup is straightforward. Here are the steps:

1. Bring the soup stock in a stockpot to a boil.  I use a shortcut this time with the store-bought chicken broth. The soup is made with equal portions of chicken stock and water since the meatballs will flavor the soup.
2. Add the white part (the stalk) of the Chinese cabbage and let it boil for five minutes until it starts to turn soft.
3. After five minutes, add the leafy part of the cabbage and the carrot pieces. Continue simmer for another three minutes.
4. Lastly, put the meatballs in the soup and simmer for two minutes. Part of the flavor from the meatballs will be released into the soup.
5. Do a taste test. The saltiness depends on whether the stock you use is seasoned and the amount of salt released from the meatballs. You can add some salt if it is not enough.
6. Scoop the soup into a soup bowl, sprinkle with a thinly sliced scallion ring and serve. 

Other Chinese clear soups for you

If you like this Chinese cabbage soup recipe, you will likely want to try other versions of Chinese soups on this blog. Here are my top picks:

Chicken herbal soup is a classic for Cantonese families. It is well-known for its health benefits. You may equate it to vitamins supplements, but it is also a delicious meal.

Old cucumber soup with pork ribs is among the most familiar soup on the Cantonese dining table.  I use meaty pork ribs, dried scallops, and cuttlefish as the main ingredients.

Chinese vegetable soup with carrot and radish is a comforting soup. You will finish eating all the vegetables in the soup in no time. It is not vegetarian, though, as the soup base is chicken stock.

Yield: 3 servings

Chinese cabbage soup with meatballs

Print

Chinese cabbage soup is a warming, comforting and soothing soup perfect for a weeknight regular. This humble soup has an incredible depth of flavor while cooking in any stock as the cabbage acts like a sponge, absorbing any flavor available.

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 35 minutes

Ingredients

Ingredients A (for the soup)

• 600g Chinese cabbage
• 1/2 carrot
• 500ml chicken stock
• 500ml water
• 2 tbsp thinly sliced scallion

Ingredients B (for the meatballs)

• 300g minced pork
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1/4 tsp ground white pepper
• 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
• 2 tsp light soy sauce
• 1 water chestnut
• 1 large tbsp cornstarch
• 1 tbsp minced ginger
• 1 tbsp minced garlic

Ingredients C (others)

• Some extra cornstarch to coat the meatballs
• Cooking oil to pan-fry the meatballs

Instructions

For the vegetables:

1. Cut the Chinese cabbage lengthwise into four quarters.
2. Chop off the part near the stem.
3. Cut the bulb (the white part) into half-inch length crosswise.
4. Separate the leaves and rinse with water to clean and remove any dirt.
5. Drain in a colander.
6. Cut the carrot into thin slices.

For the meatballs:

1. Combine ingredients B
2. Lift the meat paste and slam it against the bowl repeatedly. 
3. Portion the meatballs to about one inch in diameter.
4. Roll the meatballs in some cornstarch, and set them aside.
5. Pan fry over low heat until the surface turns golden.
6. Remove the meatballs from the oil.

To make the soup:

1. Bring the chicken stock and water to a boil.
2. Add the white part (the stalk) of the Chinese cabbage and let it boil for five minutes.
3. After five minutes, add the leafy part of the cabbage and the carrot pieces. Continue simmer for another three minutes.
4. Lastly, put the meatballs in the soup and simmer for two minutes. 
5. Scoop the soup into a soup bowl, sprinkle with a thinly sliced

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Nutrition Information:

Yield:

3

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 787Total Fat: 44gSaturated Fat: 12gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 27gCholesterol: 143mgSodium: 2050mgCarbohydrates: 52gFiber: 7gSugar: 12gProtein: 47g

This data was provided and calculated by Nutritionix on 12/12/2021