This is a classic Cantonese Mustard Green Soup that you can make in under 30 minutes. It offers lots of health benefits without the hassle of simmering soup stock for hours!
An Easy Cantonese Soup
Our whole family loved this Cantonese homestyle soup. It has simple ingredients and pantry staples we always have on hand. Plus, it only takes about 15 minutes of active cooking time.
My favorite part about it is it just uses sliced pork (you can also substitute chicken), so I don’t need to take the extra steps of washing and pre-boiling bones and simmering them for hours.
Just serve it with a bowl of rice, and it makes a complete meal.
What Chinese Mustard Greens to Use
The one confusing part of this recipe is that there are a few varieties of mustard greens to choose from.
Luckily, we have a full guide here. I used the largest variety, large petiole mustard (dai gai choy in Cantonese). Another choice for this soup is Leaf Mustard (xuě lǐ hóng in Mandarin).
Soup for Summertime?
Over the past couple years, many of you have become more acquainted with the “Chinese” way of living—habits like drinking warm water and doing qigong style lymphatic drainage exercises. Well, drinking soup during the summertime is another habit that you can adopt for your health!
It’s common knowledge among Chinese families that bitter vegetables like bitter melon, mustard greens, watercress, and arugula are great vegetable choices to help reduce inner heat and regulate blood sugar levels. I love this Mustard Green Soup for that reason. It has all the health benefits without a strong bitter taste!
While it sounds counterintuitive, a soup can work wonders to cool you down. It helps you sweat, which is the body’s natural cooling response. Perhaps more importantly, it replenishes electrolytes!
Plus, it’s a good way to counteract being in air conditioning all day and eating lots of raw fruits and vegetables, which can have a cooling effect on your body.
It’s why many Chinese families will enjoy a warm soup (rather than piping hot) even during the summertime. I talk about this in another one of my favorite easy summer soups, Tomato Potato Soup, from my childhood in Shanghai.
Cantonese Mustard Green Soup Recipe Instructions
Slice the pork into ⅛-inch/3mm thick pieces. Too thin, and it will actually dry out in the soup. Combine the pork with the water, oil, Shaoxing wine, light soy sauce, cornstarch, salt, and white pepper powder. Mix well until the meat has absorbed all the liquid, and let it marinate while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
Wash the mustard greens clean. (Check out our post on how to wash vegetables.) Shake off the excess water, and cut into bite-size pieces, keeping the leaf and stem pieces separate. Set aside.
Heat a wok or soup pot over medium-high heat. I like to use my wok, because water boils so quickly in it. Over medium-high heat, add 2 tablespoons of oil and the ginger. Let it cook for a minute, then add the mustard green stems, and cook for another minute.
Add the chicken stock and water. Bring to a boil. Add the pork and tofu, stirring to separate the pork pieces.
Cover and cook for 8-10 minutes over medium-high heat. Add the mustard green leaves and salt to taste.
Cook for another 1-2 minutes. Serve!
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Recipe
Mustard Green Soup (芥菜肉片汤)
Ingredients
For the pork and marinade:
- 8 ounces boneless pork (such as pork shoulder, pork butt, or pork loin)
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 teaspoon neutral oil (such as vegetable, canola, or avocado oil)
- 1 teaspoon Shaoxing wine
- 1 teaspoon light soy sauce
- ½ teaspoon cornstarch
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon white pepper
For the rest of the soup:
- 12 ounces large petiole mustard greens (or leaf mustard, cut into large pieces, with the stems and leaves separated)
- ½ block soft or firm tofu (cut into cubes)
- 2 tablespoons neutral oil
- 2-3 ginger slices (⅛-inch/3mm thick)
- 4 cups low sodium chicken stock
- 2 cups water
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Slice the pork into ⅛-inch/3mm thick pieces. Too thin, and it will actually dry out in the soup. Combine the pork with the water, oil, Shaoxing wine, light soy sauce, cornstarch, salt, and white pepper powder. Mix well until the meat has absorbed all the liquid, and let it marinate while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
- Wash the mustard greens clean. (Check out our post on how to wash vegetables.) Shake off the excess water, and cut into bite-size pieces, keeping the leaf and stem pieces separate. Set aside.
- Heat a wok or soup pot over medium-high heat. I like to use my wok, because water boils so quickly in it. Over medium-high heat, add 2 tablespoons of oil and the ginger. Let it cook for a minute, then add the mustard green stems, and cook for another minute.
- Add the chicken stock and water. Bring to a boil. Add the pork and tofu, stirring to separate the pork pieces. Cover and cook for 8-10 minutes over medium-high heat. Add the mustard green leaves and salt to taste. Cook for another 1-2 minutes. Serve!
