Eight Treasure Soup – My Food Story

Eight Treasure Soup makes consuming your veggies really feel like a deal with; vibrant, crunchy, and filled with flavour!

Some days you simply need one thing fast, heat, and filled with veggies with out pondering too laborious about it. That’s precisely what this Eight Treasure Soup is. Just toss in no matter’s in your fridge, and someway it comes collectively into a correct, flavour-packed meal.

It’s gentle, however nonetheless feels such as you’ve eaten nicely. Nothing sophisticated, no particular inventory or difficult steps, simply chop, stir, simmer, performed. It’s the form of soup you make as soon as after which hold coming again to as a result of it’s that straightforward (and attractive!).

Eight Treasure Soup Ingredients

Veggies

• Carrots, beans, and cauliflower – these get blanched first so that they keep tender, not mushy.
• Cabbage, bok choy, zucchini, and mushrooms – added later so that they keep crunchy and vibrant.
• Sweet corn (cream of corn) – provides the soup physique and a bit of sweetness.

Aromatics

• Ginger, garlic, and inexperienced chilli – the bottom flavours that deliver heat and depth.

For the broth

• Vegetable inventory or water – the bottom of the soup.
• Cornflour slurry – thickens it barely so it’s brothy however not watery.
• Salt, sugar, and crushed pepper – to season and stability the flavours.

Other

• Cooking oil – just a bit to sauté the whole lot.
• Water – for blanching the firmer veggies earlier than including them to the soup.

Frequently Asked Questions

Richa’s Top Tips

• Blanch agency veggies first: This helps them prepare dinner by with out turning mushy. Carrots, beans, and cauliflower want a fast head begin so that they prepare dinner by however don’t flip mushy later.
• Don’t overcook the leafy veggies: Cook leafy veggies briefly: Add cabbage, bok choy, and zucchini in the direction of the tip, they solely want a minute to remain vibrant and crunchy.
• Don’t skip the corn slurry: It provides the soup simply sufficient physique so it’s not watery, however nonetheless gentle and brothy.
• Use excessive warmth for aromatics: Sauté ginger, garlic, and inexperienced chilli on excessive warmth (this releases their flavour with out burning them).
• Taste and modify earlier than serving: The soup base is easy, so balancing salt, pepper, and sugar on the finish makes an enormous distinction.
• Add inventory slowly: Start with much less vegetable inventory and add extra provided that wanted, so the soup doesn’t turn out to be too skinny.

Storage Tips

• Fridge: Let the soup cool utterly, then retailer it in an hermetic container for as much as 2 days. 
• Freezer: Skip the cornflour slurry in case you plan to freeze it, add it contemporary whereas reheating. The soup will keep good for a couple of month within the freezer.
• Reheating tip: If the soup thickens an excessive amount of within the fridge, add a splash of water or inventory whereas reheating to loosen it up.

Serving Ideas

Eight Treasure Soup is gentle and filled with veggies, so it really works finest when paired with sides that stability it out, some equally healthful, some a bit of heartier in case you’re constructing a full meal:

Customisation Ideas

• Make it creamy: Stir in a splash of coconut milk or a spoon of cream on the finish for a richer, silkier broth.
• Give it an earthy depth: Add a small handful of soaked shiitake mushrooms together with their soaking liquid for an umami increase.
• Add a citrus raise: Finish with a squeeze of lemon or lime juice simply earlier than serving to brighten the flavours.
• Bring in some crunch: Top every bowl with crispy fried shallots or toasted garlic chips for texture.
• Layer in some heat: Add a tiny pinch of white pepper or freshly grated nutmeg for a delicate, cosy depth.

Did You Know?

Eight Treasure Soup will get its title from the normal Chinese perception that the quantity eight symbolizes luck and prosperity. The “treasures” have been initially a mixture of eight particular elements like lotus seeds, jujubes, peanuts, and chestnuts, usually served throughout Lunar New Year for success. Over time, the recipe advanced, and plenty of trendy variations (like this one) use eight vibrant greens as an alternative, maintaining the fortunate quantity whereas making it lighter and more energizing.

Honestly, this soup simply makes life simpler. It’s fast, it’s filled with veggies, and it someway looks like consolation meals with out weighing you down. One pot, little or no effort, and also you’ve received one thing that tastes like heaven.

Make it as soon as and also you’ll most likely find yourself doing it on autopilot everytime you want a reset meal. And in case you do, tag me on Instagram @my_foodstory, I’d like to see your bowls of this veggie magic.

Watch Eight Treasure Soup Recipe Video

This article was researched and written by Harita Odedra.