Pork Bone, Lotus Root, and Peanut Soup
蓮藕章魚豬骨湯·(ling ngau jeung yu jyu gwat tong)
Lou Fo Tong: Mother's Slow-Simmered Love
Pork neck bones sit in a heavy Dutch oven. A proper Cantonese lou fo tong achieves oceanic depth through thick-sliced lotus root, skinned raw peanuts, a single piece of dried octopus, and a handful of mung beans to balance the richness. While the old guard tended a clay pot for hours, you can extract that exact same soul-soothing, collagen-heavy broth in forty-five minutes with a pressure cooker—just drop the bones into the water, skim the foam, and let the pressure do the heavy lifting.
Before you start
Rehydrate the dried pantry staples.
Place the dried octopus, raw peanuts, mung beans, mandarin peel, and honey dates into separate bowls of warm water. Let them soak for 30 minutes.
Tame the mandarin peel.
Once the mandarin peel is soft, use the edge of a spoon to gently scrape off the white, spongy pith on the inside to prevent a bitter broth.
Ingredients
- pork neck bones1 1/2 lb
- fresh lotus root1 1/2 lb
- raw peanuts1/2 cup
- dried octopus1 med
- mung beans1/4 cup
- dried mandarin peel1 med
- honey dates3 med
- fresh ginger3 med
- kosher salt1 1/2 tsp
- water10 cup
Method
- 01
Blanch the pork bones.
Place the bones in a large pot, cover completely with cold water, and bring to a violent, rolling boil for 3 to 5 minutes to purge the blood and impurities.
- 02
Wash the bones.
Drain the bones and scrub them thoroughly under cold running water. This non-negotiable step is the secret to a pristine, clear broth.
- 03
Pressure cook the soup.
Transfer the clean bones, lotus root wedges, soaked peanuts, mung beans, chopped octopus, dates, scraped mandarin peel, ginger, and water into an electric pressure cooker. Cook on High Pressure for 40 minutes.
- 04
Release the pressure naturally.
Let the cooker sit for 15 to 20 minutes before opening the valve.
- 05
Skim the fat and season.
Ladle off any excess pork fat floating on the surface. Stir in the salt now—never earlier—taste, and adjust as needed before serving piping hot.
Notes
Demystifying the seafood.
Dried octopus is cheap, stores forever in the freezer, and transforms into a mild, savory background note that gives the soup its authentic, oceanic depth.
The golden rule of salt.
Salting the water at the beginning of a long simmer draws the moisture out of the pork bones, leaving the meat dry and stringy. Always season at the very end.