Gai Lan Soup Recipe with Egg (2024)

Jan 29, 2014 · by Valentina · 22 Comments

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This healthy Gai Lan Soup Recipe with Egg is as nourishing, comforting and delicious as it looks!

It's almost Chinese New Year, and I suggest serving this super delicious soup.

Have you ever heard of Gai Lan?

What is Gai Lan?

Gai Lan is actually Chinese Kale, and is often referred to as Chinese broccoli.
The dark green leaves of Gai Lan are packed with nutrients and become soft, like spinach, when cooked.
Gail Lan has thick green stems and deep green leaves. As with most greens, the younger the plant, the more tender the stalks and leaves are.
The flavor is similar to broccoli, both bitter and sweet. Though perhaps a little more bitter, which mellows as it cooks, making it perfect for gai lan soup or in stir-fries.
Gai Lan is available year-round.

What does Gai Lan taste like?

Gai Lan is similar to broccoli, but with a much stronger flavor that is slightly bitter. I especially love it in soups because the bitterness mellows and it keeps its sweet and pungent flavor even after a longer cooking time.

How to Serve Gai Lan

Gail Lan is delicious sautéed with oyster sauce and garlic. It shines in all sorts of stir-fries. It's also one of my favorite greens to add to soups.

This Gai Lan Soup Recipe is on the spicy side, and with the addition of egg and miso, it's not only healthy, but it's quite rich and hearty.

If you are cooking up a Chinese New Year's menu, I hope you include the soup.

It would be delicious with Crispy Garlic Ginger Bok Choy Chips. . .

Whatever you serve it with, I hope you enjoy every last spoonful of the gai lan soup!

I want to thank Melissa's Produce again for essentially sending me Chinese New Year -- in a box. This is not a sponsored post, as always, all opinions are my own.

Gai Lan Soup with Egg

Valentina K. Wein

This healthy Gai Lan Soup Recipe with Egg is as nourishing, comforting and delicious as it looks!

Please note that the prep time does not include hard boiling the eggs, which will take 15 to 20 minutes. (Here's how to hard boil eggs.)

5 from 5 votes

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 30 minutes mins

Course Main Course, First Course

Cuisine Asian

Servings 4 to 6

Calories 137 kcal

Ingredients

grapeseed oil for the pot
¼ cup light Miso paste (Shiro Miso)
1 tablespoon ginger pulp
1 teaspoon garlic, minced
1½ teaspoons chili paste
¾ cup yellow onion, thinly sliced
3 cups Gai Lan, washed and dried, roughly chopped, tough portions of stems removed
5 cups warm water
4 hard boiled eggs, yolks removed, thinly sliced
salt to taste
dried chili flakes for garnish

Instructions

Coat the bottom of a large soup pot with grapeseed oil and place it over medium-low heat. Add the miso, ginger, garlic and chile paste. Let this sauté for a couple of minutes, and then add the onions. Continue to sauté until the onions are soft and translucent, about 7 minutes.
Add the Gai Lan and cook just until it's wilted. Then add the water and bring to a boil.
Add the sliced hard cooked egg whites, cover the pot, reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 15 minutes.
Season to taste with sea salt and garnish each serving with dried chili flakes.

NOTES

Calorie count is only an estimate.

NUTRITION

Calories: 137kcal

Keywords fall and winter soups, Asian-Style soups, Gal Lan soup

Have you tried this recipe?I'd love to see it on Instagram! Tag me at @cookingontheweekends or leave a comment & rating below.

Cooking On The Weekends is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking toAmazon.com.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

Christina
January 29, 2014 at 7:24 pm
Sounds wonderful! I would love to try this soup!
Reply
- valentina
  February 03, 2014 at 8:57 pm
  Thanks, Christina! Enjoy!
  Reply
  - Kathy Smith
    December 10, 2020 at 6:20 pm
    So if one adds a he Miso to the pot with just the oil, ginger and garlic, etc, even at low temp, it chars and burns on the pan bottom. By the time the onions get cooked properly, the paste mixture is burnt and dried out. That can’t be right. Is there a step missing in the instructions? Thanks.
    Reply
    - valentina
      December 10, 2020 at 9:50 pm
      Hi Kathy, Thanks for writing in. I'm so sorry you had this happen. I haven't had this problem when making this recipe. If the heat is already low, the only think I can think of is that maybe the pot you're using isn't heavy-bottomed enough? I would also suggest adding more oil. I will play around with this recipe ASAP to see if while doing so, I think of any other possibilities. Again, I'm sorry this didn't work out. I'll report back soon! ~Valentina
      Reply
Bonnie
March 05, 2014 at 10:07 pm
yum! I never thought of putting miso and gai lan together, will definitely try it!
Reply
- valentina
  March 06, 2014 at 5:29 am
  See Also
  Chinese broccoli recipe- How to cook with 2 simple methods
  Thanks so much, Bonnie! Hope you enjoy. 🙂
  Reply
Rolando l. Sta. maria
January 19, 2016 at 5:34 pm
What is gai lan and where can we buy it?
Reply
- valentina
  January 20, 2016 at 8:02 pm
  Hi Rolando, gai lan is Chinese broccoli and it's often available in many major grocery stores (Gelson's Whole Foods, Ralph's), and definitely in any Asian market. Cheers!
  Reply
Andrea Metlika
January 11, 2019 at 4:13 pm

Looks fabulously spicy and flavorful. Soup is definitely on with this one.
Reply
- valentina
  January 11, 2019 at 4:17 pm
  Thanks so much, Andrea! 🙂
  Reply
Catherine Brown
January 11, 2019 at 5:14 pm
I don't think I've ever tried gai lan, but from your description I think I would love it! Now to find some...
Reply
- valentina
  January 14, 2019 at 5:00 pm
  Hi Catherine, I hope you find Gai Lan in your market and try it. In not in the soup, you can just sauté it with a little olive oil, salt and pepper. Like you would spinach. 🙂
  Reply
Caroline
January 11, 2019 at 6:18 pm

I've heard of gai lan but not sure I have managed to try. The flavors here sound great.
Reply
- valentina
  January 11, 2019 at 6:42 pm
  Thanks, Caroline! Hope you try it. 🙂
  Reply
Adrianne
January 11, 2019 at 7:43 pm

Great recipe Valentina and perfect for Chinese New Year! I also like the bok choy chips you mention....anything Asian and you have got me. Cheers
Reply
- valentina
  January 14, 2019 at 5:08 pm
  Me too! I love Asian flavors so much! Thank you!
  Reply
Cathy
January 12, 2019 at 8:22 am

Valentina, thanks I can now finally make this recipe at home! You make it look so easy and so delicious!
Reply
- valentina
  January 14, 2019 at 5:19 pm
  Thank you, Cathy! 🙂
  Reply
Chef Mimi
January 07, 2022 at 4:23 pm
Wonderful. I can just taste it! I’ve never heard of gai lan, but I imagine broccolini would be an acceptable sub?
Reply
- valentina
  January 09, 2022 at 5:37 pm
  Hi Mimi! Yes broccolini would be great. Or spinach. Enjoy and thank you. 🙂 ~Valentina
  Reply
Eha
January 07, 2022 at 4:40 pm

I know gai lan as Chinese broccoli here in Australia. Find your recipe very interesting as I use miso quite often in soups but have not prepared anything quite similar . . . shall most certainly try ! I normally use the ta/orange miso for cooking and the white for my 'consomme' tea . . . so the first it is . . .
Reply
David
January 10, 2022 at 6:48 am
Gail an is readily available at our farmers market (from one vendor only) and also in our Asian grocery store. This looks amazing — and soooo comforting! xx
Reply