Raw Coconut Bok Choy Spicy Soup
It started raining late last night. Liquid silver falling from the sky. Some would say, liquid gold when you take into account the drought we have been having in California. It has been unseasonably warm, and horribly dry. Hills that are normally emerald green this time of year are a dusty brown. People who make their living from the land are in dire straights while every day we look at azure blue skies without a cloud in sight. . .until last night.
The rain finally started to fall. The fresh smelling air drifted in through the windows and a long, soaking rain delighted our ears. It rained all night and we awoke to grey skies, fog, and moisture. The eucalyptus grove that yesterday only offered shade, smelled like nature’s spa as we walked through this morning. It is cold and wet and we are happy.
With the rest of the country still seeing frigid temperatures and snow, while we have damp, cold weather in the Bay area, a batch of soup is just the thing to chase away the chill. You will love this warm, hearty, delicious, healthy raw soup.
Bok choy is the heart of this savory soup. I love bok choy. And I am excited to bring you this bok choy recipe. It is full of nutrients. Wonder where to get calcium? Bok choy has 110 mg per cup. It is also loaded with vitamins C, A and K, magnesium, potassium, manganese, and iron. And did I mention it tastes great?
For this recipe I used baby bok choy. It is tender and has a light sweetness to it. But I didn’t just chop it up and throw it in the soup…I marinated it and tossed it in the dehydrator for a bit. It provided the perfect touch. Marinated mushrooms and a wonderful coconut broth combined with cumin, ginger, turmeric and the bok choy make a healthy soup perfect for this weather. I suggest warming the soup gently on the stove or in the dehydrator to take off the winter chill.
Coconut Soup with Bok Choy
Serves 4
- 4 cups thinly sliced bok choy
- 6 tablespoons Braggs Liquid Aminos
, divided
- 4 tablespoon sesame oil, divided
- 1 1/2 cup thinly sliced mushrooms
- 1 tablespoon coconut sugar
- 1 young Thai coconut, meat and liquid
- water (enough to make 2 1/2 cups total liquid when combined with the liquid from the coconut)
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 1-inch piece ginger, peeled and chopped fine
- 1 teaspoon raw chili garlic sauce (recipe here)
- Himalayan salt and pepper to taste
- Toss bok choy with 3 tablespoons Braggs Liquid Aminos and 2 tablespoons sesame oil. Dehydrate at 115 degrees for 1 hour.
- Toss mushrooms with remaining braggs, sesame oil and coconut sugar. Let marinate for at least one hour.
- Place coconut flesh, coconut water and water in high-speed blender. Blend until the mixture starts to feel warm.
- Add cumin, turmeric, ginger, raw chili garlic sauce, salt and pepper. Blend until combined.
- Remove to bowl, stir in bok choy and mushrooms. Re-heat gently if desired.
Michelle Cantu wrote on April 12, 2015
I have to say this soup was absolutely fabulous! We loved it and can’t wait to make it again. It was easy, and so full of flavor. We love Bok Choy so much that I doubled that and the mushrooms too. Thank you for such a wonderful website you are Amazing!
Susan wrote on April 12, 2015
Thanks for letting me know, Michelle! I am so glad you liked it! 🙂
Kerry Marshall-Ryan wrote on April 5, 2015
Hi Susan
We love this soup.
I had trouble finding a coconut so I used a couple of handfuls of organic coconut flakes and a can of 100% coconut water.
Also, I don’t have a dehydrator and couldn’t be bothered using the oven on low heat. I found that by cutting the Bok Choy very finely and only soaking it in the Tamari it was fine totally raw.
Thank you for an amazing website. I recommend you to anyone who is interested in healthy food!!
Kerry
David wrote on March 28, 2015
My girlfriend and I made this tonight. It was fantastic! We don’t have a dehydrator, so we put the bok choy on a cookie sheet over a radiator. We used maitake mushrooms instead of shitake, and we added a bunch of spring onion at the end. Oh, and we ate it at room temperature.
This is a really great recipe! We used to eat baby bok choy often, but after going raw a few years ago we couldn’t think of a good way to prepare it raw. Well here it is! Thanks a bunch, Susan! Can’t wait to try some of your other recipes!
Susan wrote on April 1, 2015
Hi David! Thanks so much for you comment. I love how much innovative you were 🙂 Cheers!
sarah wrote on March 27, 2015
This looks great but how many does it serve?
David wrote on March 28, 2015
Hey Sarah, the recipe says it serves four. But my gf and I made the whole recipe and finished it! Super yums!
Susan wrote on April 1, 2015
Wow, David! This happens to me frequently 🙂 It makes us so happy that you and your girlfriend loved it so much. Cheers!
Dean Martin wrote on March 20, 2015
Hi Susan. Important question. You say sesame oil, but everywhere I read they tell you that using oil is not raw. How do you explain this?
Also, when using a dehydrator, doesn’t the food lose ALMOST all of its nutrients? And water? That’s what Dr D Grant, founder of our cherished raw movement says.
He says that for every dehydrated meal you have, you need to drink an additional 32Oz of water, to help keep us from getting dehydrated.
Susan wrote on March 20, 2015
Hi, Dean, Sesame Oil is not raw. But we are not a 100% raw site. We occasionally use non-raw items for flavoring. And no, if you keep the temps under 115 degrees, the food does not lose almost all of it’s nutrients. If you go over that temp, it will lose more. But some nutrients are even heat tolerant to cooking. Cheers!
martha wrote on March 13, 2015
I am new to raw foods and made this for my family. Delicious and not difficult. I do not
have access to fresh coconut, so I soaked some organic coconut flakes (unsweetened) and
put it in the blendtec. It turned out great. Will be making this again. Thank you.
Colleen wrote on March 8, 2015
Wow, just tried this recipe it is so good! I didn’t add as much hot pepper as called for but the flavor was wonderful. Thank you for another great addition to my meal plan.