Pork Rib Soup (排骨汤)
A nourishing dish that's simple to prepare and lightly seasoned, Chinese pork rib soup warms both your body and heart.
Servings: 6
Ingredients
- 1½ lb pork ribs (see note 1)
- ¾ teaspoon salt or to taste
- 1 bulb garlic washed and unpeeled
- 1 tablespoon whole white pepper or whole black pepper (see note 2)
- 1 ear fresh sweet corn husks removed and cut into sections
- 1 large carrot cut into chunks (see note 3)
- Scallions or cilantro (coriander)
Instructions
Blanch the ribs
- Put pork ribs into a pot. Add cold water about 1 inch over the meat. Bring it to a boil.
- Skim off any foam appearing on the surface until there is no more. Take out the ribs and discard the water.
Simmer the ribs
- Put the ribs in the cleaned pot, then pour in 4 cups (1 liter) of hot water and add salt, the whole bulb of garlic, and peppercorns kept in a strainer or a spice bag.
- Bring the water to a full boil then turn the heat down to low. Cover the pot with a tight lid and leave to simmer for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the meat becomes tender.
Cook the vegetables
- Take out the garlic and peppercorns. Add the sweetcorn pieces and carrot chunks. Increase the heat to medium. Leave to boil with the lid on for about 10 minutes until the carrot softens.
- Taste the soup to decide if extra salt is needed. Garnish with chopped scallions or cilantro before dishing out to serve.
Notes
1. Bite-sized pork ribs are ideal for this dish. However, regular-size ribs work well, too. Prolong the cooking time accordingly.
2. You can use a mixture of whole white pepper and black pepper, or either one of them. Otherwise, use 1/4 teaspoon of ground white pepper as a substitute and add it at the very end of the cooking process.
3. You may use other vegetables to replace sweetcorn and carrots, such as daikon, lotus root, winter melon, kelp, etc.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 238kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 64mg | Sodium: 366mg | Potassium: 271mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 2033IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 16mg | Iron: 1mg
