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This cleansing garlicky baby bok choy soup recipe is nourishing and delicious with the mild flavor of bok choy paired with savory garlic, piquant ginger, and fresh lemon juice in a rich vegetable broth.
It’s January 3rd. And we all know what that means.
I bet no matter where you are in your goal to health, you probably over-indulged even just a little bit over the holidays. It can sometimes be hard to treat our bodies with the respect they deserve when we’re so busy, and the holiday season is a prime example of that.
Not to mention, holiday parties galore with temptation everywhere you look.
Sigh.
No worries, just get back on track. (You got this!)
This is the first weekend of the New Year. Make this detox soup this weekend and have it for lunch both days. Use it as a tool to fuel better eating habits and healthier choices.
Don’t push yourself too hard too fast. We all know that the lasting habits are the ones that were made gradually over time. This soup is an effortless way to start.
In This Article
Nutrient-Rich Ingredients in This Baby Bok Choy Soup Recipe
This soup is completely full of nourishing, cleansing ingredients:
Bok Choy: Chlorophyll, the molecule in plants that makes them green, attaches to toxins in your blood and removes them from your body. (Read more about the health benefits of chlorophyll on Healthfully.)
Olive Oil: Some vitamins need fat to be absorbed into the body, so this healthy oil helps your body maximize the absorption of nutrients from what you’re eating. (Read more about this on NPR and Discovery Fit & Health)
Garlic: This strong antioxidant has antibacterial and antifungal properties, and can be used to prevent colds, reduce blood pressure, and reduce the risk of developing certain cancers. (More info is available on Reader’s Digest.)
Ginger: If I have fresh ginger on hand, I like to add it to this recipe! I love the flavor of ginger and garlic soup, and ginger is a powerful antioxidant and has anti-inflammatory properties. (Find out more about the health benefits of ginger on Johns Hopkins.)
Organic Vegetable Broth or Water: Helps you stay hydrated as you flush toxins out of your system.
Turmeric: Curcumin, the component in turmeric that gives it its bright yellow color, stimulates the gallbladder to produce bile, which the liver uses to eliminate toxins from the body. (Head over to Natural News to read more.)
Fresh Lemon Juice: Cleanses the kidneys and digestive system, and helps purify the blood. As an alkaline-forming food in the body, it also may help to prevent serious illnesses. (Read more on Glamour Health & Diet.)
Special Diet Friendly
This baby bok choy soup recipe is naturally vegan, paleo, gluten free, and low carb! Each serving has 8 grams net carbs, so it's also easy to fit into a ketogenic lifestyle.
Bok Choy FAQ
What is Bok Choy?
Also transliterated pok choi and pak choi, bok choy is a cruciferous vegetable in the same family as veggies like cauliflower and cabbage. It's also called Chinese cabbage, and is a popular vegetable in China and other parts of Asia. (You can read more about bok choy on Wikipedia.)
What Does Bok Choy Taste Like?
Bok choy is very mild flavored. It's similar to cabbage, but with a slightly peppery taste. This makes sense, as bok choy is related to mustard greens too!
What Part of Bok Choy Do You Eat?
You can eat the whole bok choy plant (green and white parts). In this baby bok choy soup we use the whole plant.
How Do You Prepare Bok Choy For Soup?
- Rinse the bok choy and trim off the stem ends.
- Slice the white parts into ¼-inch strips and transfer them to a bowl.
- Chop the green parts into ½-inch pieces and transfer them to a separate bowl.
How Do You Cook Bok Choy in Soup?
Baby bok choy leaves and stems are edible. However, they have different cooking times.
Baby bok choy leaves are similar to baby spinach leaves; if you cook them, it doesn't take long. On the other hand, baby bok choy stems have a texture similar to celery, and take longer to cook.
Because of these different textures (and resulting different cooking times), this is how to cook bok choy in soup:
- Heat a little oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat.
- Once hot, add the white parts of the bok choy and cook 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Then add the green parts of the bok choy and cook 2 minutes more, stirring occasionally.
- Add the stock or water and any seasonings the recipe calls for!
More Nourishing Soup Recipes
- AIP Paleo Bone Broth Cabbage Detox Soup
- Thai Inspired Chicken and Vegetable Detox Soup
- Heart Healthy Soup
Cleansing Garlicky Baby Bok Choy Soup Recipe
By: Faith Gorsky
This cleansing garlicky baby bok choy soup recipe is nourishing and delicious with the mild flavor of bok choy paired with savory garlic, piquant ginger, and fresh lemon juice in a rich vegetable broth.
5 from 2 votes
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Prep Time 15 minutes mins
Cook Time 10 minutes mins
Course Soup
Cuisine Chinese
Servings 2 servings
Calories 183 kcal
Ingredients
- 1 pound baby bok choy
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 large cloves garlic peeled and thinly sliced
- 1 inch piece fresh ginger grated on a microplane
- 2 cups low-sodium organic vegetable broth see Notes
- ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric optional
- 1 to 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice more or less to taste
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt more or less to taste
Instructions
Rinse the bok choy and trim off the stem ends. Slice the white parts into ¼-inch strips and transfer them to a bowl. Chop the green parts into ½-inch pieces and transfer them to a separate bowl.
Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the white parts of the bok choy and cook 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Then add the green parts of the bok choy and the garlic and cook 2 minutes more, stirring occasionally.
Add the stock and turmeric; bring to a simmer and then turn off the heat.
Add the lemon juice and sea salt to taste.
Serve.
Faith's Tips
- Vegetable Broth: You can use water if you don't have broth on hand, and for richer flavor (and if keeping this soup vegetarian isn't a concern) you can use chicken broth.
- Net Carbs: 8g per serving (½ of recipe)
- Storage: Store this soup covered in the fridge for up to 3 days in the fridge.
Nutrition
Nutrition Facts
Cleansing Garlicky Baby Bok Choy Soup Recipe
Amount Per Serving
Calories 183Calories from Fat 126
% Daily Value*
Fat 14g22%
Saturated Fat 2g13%
Polyunsaturated Fat 1g
Monounsaturated Fat 10g
Sodium 440mg19%
Potassium 53mg2%
Carbohydrates 11g4%
Fiber 4g17%
Sugar 4g4%
Protein 4g8%
Vitamin A 10093IU202%
Vitamin C 107mg130%
Calcium 262mg26%
Iron 2mg11%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Keyword Baby Bok Choy Soup, Baby Bok Choy Soup Recipe, Bok Choy Soup, Bok Choy Soup Recipe
Tried this recipe?Let me know how it was!
This post was first published on An Edible Mosaic on January 3, 2014 and updated with more information on January 3, 2024.
Disclaimer: Please note that I am NOT a doctor, medical practitioner, or nutritionist of any kind. Nothing in this post should be construed as medical or nutrition advice. The information about each ingredient in this soup was sourced from the pages that I linked to for each item; please head over to each page for more detailed information. If you need medical advice you should immediately seek a physician’s care.
