← Nouns Cooking · Chinese

Ingredients

• 600 g pork ribs or pork bones, chopped into chunks
• 2.5 l Water
• 3 slices Ginger
• 2 Carrot, cut into chunks
• 6 Dried Chinese red dates (jujubes, hong zao), pitted
• 3 dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked (optional)
• 450 g Watercress, washed, tough stems trimmed
• 1 tbsp Dried goji berries
• 1 tsp salt, or to taste

Method

1. Put the pork in a pan of cold water, bring to the boil and boil for 3 min to release the scum. Drain and rinse the ribs.
2. Bring the 2.5 litres of water to a full boil in a large pot. Add the ribs, ginger, carrot, red dates and mushrooms (if using).
3. Once it is boiling again, add the watercress, pushing it under the liquid. Return to the boil, then lower the heat and simmer, partly covered, for 1 hour 45 min, until the pork is very tender.
4. Add the goji berries for the last 10 min. Season with salt and serve the clear broth with some of the pork, watercress and carrot in each bowl.

Tips

• Add the watercress only once the water is boiling, and keep it boiling: watercress that sits in warm water turns bitter.
• A few dried honey dates or a strip of dried tangerine peel are traditional extras for a sweeter, fragrant broth.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Wok and Kin Christine's Recipes Taste of Asian Food