This is a variation on a restaurant-styled spinach soup I had at a Chinese restaurant. In their version, the spinach was less dense and more coarse and it was called a “gung” in Cantonese – meaning a thick stew type of soup. I wanted something lighter, healthier for the kids and lighter on the corn starch, so kind of made this up. It turned out to be delicious and the water chestnuts added a refreshing and crunchy texture that I loved! For the vegetarian version, use vegetable broth instead.

• 3 cloves of fresh garlic, finely diced
• 1/2 fresh white onion, finely chopped
• 6 bunches of fresh spinach, chopped
• 2 cups of chicken broth
• 2 cups of water
• 10 fresh water chestnuts, peeled

1. Finely chop both onions and garlic
2. In your soup pot, add a teaspoon of cooking oil and fry garlic and onions until the onions are caramelized
3. Throw in the chopped spinach and cook for another 5 minutes while continuously stirring
4. Add in chicken broth and water
5. Boil on medium for another 10 minutes (or until boiling)
6. Remove from heat and using a hand blender, blend the soup until it runs smooth
7. In a pot of hot water, boil the peeled water chestnuts for 5 minutes
8. When ready, remove and finely chop the water chestnuts
9. Sprinkle the water chestnuts on top of the soup and serve!