Simple Zucchini Soup

Chinese Food Lovers Are Going to Be Jumping for Joy! A Perfect Soup for Fall or Chilly Night! How Awesome!

This simple zucchini soup is not only a quick and easy one-pot dinner, but also a great soup recipe for all Chinese food lovers. It turns an expensive traditional recipe to be a family and budget-friendly meal.

Total Time: 30-35 Minutes
Prep Time: 10 Minutes  
Active Cook Time: 20-25 Minutes  
Serving: 4-6

What's So Special About This Soup?

I had this idea of making this soup for a few years. But time flew by me. I was glad that it finally happened.

Zucchini texture is very similar to winter melon which is a very seasonal ingredient in China. We use it during summer and early fall. Even if you live in China or Hong Kong, my hometown, it is not easy to find in the market during its peak season.

In Chinese restaurant, there is always a soup made of winter melon called 冬瓜盅. With direct translation, it is called soup bowl made of winter melon. The serving bowl is very fancy looking. It is edible and carved out from half of the winter melon. Because of the presentation and the rarity, it is super expensive if you order one from a Chinese restaurant.

But you don’t have to worry about it now. This recipe may not use winter melon to make it. But zucchini does have very similar texture as winter melon after it is cooked. It tastes just like the authentic Chinese recipe.

TIPS & TRICKS

Make A Seafood Lover Version

Another reason why the traditional Chinese recipe is super expensive is because of certain additional ingredients, such as chopped shrimp and crab meat.

For seafood lovers, those 2 ingredients are for you to consider and add into this soup recipe.  If you choose to do so, chop up the shrimp into small bite size.  You will need to add about 1/2 cup into the soup.  To add crab meat, make sure you will add the real one, not imitated crab meat which will ruin the taste of the soup.  You can add about 1/4 cup or less into the soup.

Bear in mind that seafood cook time is very short.  So, add those 2 seafood ingredients last.  Once the shrimp changes to pink or opaque. Dinner is ready.

Other Potential Additional Ingredients

Tofu is a very, very common ingredient in many Chinese recipes.  If you are a big fan of it, like me, it is another great add-on into this simple zucchini soup.  If so, use about 1/2 lbs of extra firm tofu and cut it into small cubes or about the size of the zucchinis.  Add tofu into the soup before adding seafoods.

Dry Shiitake Mushrooms and Its Soaking Water

To make this soup tastes like the Chinese version, the key is on the dry shiitake mushrooms and its soaking water. Unlike fresh mushrooms, the dry ones have more intense flavor. Once it’s soaked in the water, the mushrooms are re-hydrated again. All the flavors also go into the water. So, make sure the water is used for part of the broth instead of throwing it away.

Click here to learn more about Shiitake mushrooms.

This mushroom soaking water is the key of this soup.

Can You Use Fresh Shiitake Mushrooms?

I personally have never used fresh shiitake mushrooms in the past. I also understand that you may not live as close to any Chinese supermarkets.  The beauty of technology nowadays is that you can order the dried ones through online store.

If fresh Shiitake mushrooms is your only choice, you still can use it.  You will need about 8 of them and cut them into dices. You may need to remove the stems if they appear to be very woody and chewy.   Instead of throwing them away, wrap them up with a piece of cheese cloth and throw it into this soup, it will intensify the flavor. Since you won't have the mushroom water, replace it with chicken broth. Before serving, discard the bag of mushroom stems.

Ground Pork or Ground Chicken?

I like using ground pork in this recipe because there is more fat in the meat instead of the lean ground chicken. The extra grease complements the zucchini very well.  If you choose ground chicken instead, add a little bit more extra virgin olive oil when you see fit.

With more fat in ground pork, it complements the zucchinis better than the lean ground chicken.

Simple Zucchini Soup Recipe and Instructions

Ingredients
2-3lbs Zucchini (diced)
6 Dry Shiitake Mushrooms (soaked in 2 cups of water)
1lb Ground Pork
1/4 cup Shredded Carrots (optional)
2 cups (1 Can) Chicken Broth

Seasonings
2 tsp Light Soy Sauce
1/4 tsp White Pepper
1/2 tsp Ground Ginger
1/4 tsp Sugar
1 tsp Salt
1 heaping tbsp Corn Starch
2 tsp Water

Instructions

1. The night before cooking, rinse dry mushrooms well to get rid of the grit. Soak them in 2 cups of cold water. Cover and chill in fridge overnight.
2. Before cooking, squeeze out the extra liquid from the mushrooms and cut them into dices. Save the mushroom water. It’s flavorful broth.
3. Preheat a soup pot at high heat and add ground pork. Use a spatula to cut the meat into pieces. Let the meat continue to brown.
4. Cut zucchini into 1/2” slices. Use an onion dicer to dice will be the quickest.
5. Stir in mushrooms into the brown meat. Add 2 cups of mushroom water and chicken broth.
6. Once the broth boils, add zucchini and all seasonings. It may look too full and not enough water. As this soup continues cooking, zucchini will release plenty of liquid. Stir in carrots (optional).
7. In a separate bowl, combine corn starch and 2tsp water to make slurry. While the soup is boiling, stir in slurry.
8. Adjust seasonings and enjoy immediately.

Simple Zucchini Soup Steps with Photos

Soak rinsed, dry Shiitake mushrooms in water overnight.

Diced re-hydrated Shiitake mushrooms.

Save mushroom water for part of the broth. Be careful not to pour the grit at the bottom into the soup.

Brown ground pork and cut it into small bite size pieces with spatula.

Browned ground pork

Add broth and mushroom water into the same pot with meat.

Cut zucchini into slices.

Transfer a piece of zucchini on top of onion dicer.

Dice zucchini with onion dicer.

Quickest and easiest way to dice all zucchinis.

Add zucchinis into soup.

Add remaining ingredients and seasonings into soup.

Thicken up the soup with corn starch slurry.

ENJOY!

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