Sai Yeung Choi Tong
西洋菜湯·(sāi yèung choi tōng)
LUNCH
Ten minutes. That is the exact active window required to lock bone-in pork, sweet roots, and a mountain of peppery watercress inside a pressure cooker, rapidly extracting a profound pork broth brewed to clear heat from the lungs. Keep the heat steady, dropping the leaves in until the watercress wilts at the final bell, yielding a deeply savory bowl that bypasses the need for common pantry crutches before you take it back to your desk.
Ingredients
- bone-in pork ribs1 1/2 lb
- watercress10 oz
- carrot2 med
- fresh ginger2 inch
- dried mission figs5 small
- dried scallops3 small
- fine sea salt1 tsp
- cold water6 cup
Method
- 01
Give the pork ribs a quick kettle wash to ensure a clear broth.
Place the ribs in a colander in your sink, bring a kettle of water to a roaring boil, and slowly pour it over the meat, turning once, to wash away the bone dust and surface impurities that cause a bitter, cloudy soup.
- 02
Build the broth in your pressure cooker.
Transfer the rinsed ribs to the insert of your Instant Pot along with the carrots, smashed ginger, dried figs, salt, dried scallops (or a tablespoon of high-quality fish sauce), and cold water.
- 03
Cook on high pressure for forty minutes.
Secure the lid, ensure the valve is set to sealing, and start the cycle—then walk away.
- 04
Aggressively wash and trim the watercress.
Submerge the bunches in a large bowl of cold water with a heavy pinch of salt, swishing vigorously to release any hidden grit, then drain, rinse thoroughly under cold water, and trim off the bottom inch of tough stems.
- 05
Wilt the greens in a violent boil.
Quick-release the pressure, switch the cooker to sauté mode, and wait until the broth hits a rolling boil before plunging the watercress directly into the roaring heat—this instantly destroys the enzyme that causes bitterness—and boiling for five to seven minutes until tender.
Notes
Why this swap? Dried figs for honey dates.
Authentic Lo Fo Tong relies on Chinese honey dates for a molasses-like sweetness, but commercial versions are boiled in refined sugar syrup, making them strictly non-compliant; dried figs offer that exact same jammy, complex sweetness entirely naturally.
Why this swap? Omitting apricot kernels and duck gizzards.
Traditional recipes use apricot kernels (seeds) and dried duck gizzards (almost always cured with soy sauce and seed spices); we skip the seeds entirely and rely on dried scallops or fish sauce to replicate the profound savory depth of the gizzard.
Respect the fat.
Don't apologize for the rich fat on the pork ribs—the fat and bone marrow provide the exact gelatin and amino acids your gut lining desperately needs to heal right now.
From AIP 10 Minute Meals.