Watercress and Pork Bone Soup
西洋菜豬骨湯·(sai yeung choy chu gwat tong)
Lou Fo Tong: Mother's Slow-Simmered Love
Pork neck bones boil. Candied honey dates soften. The broth clouds. Soon, the air gets heavy with the earthy, sweet aroma of simmering pork bones and dates. Hollow-stemmed watercress soup is the pot a mother puts on the stove the moment she hears a cough—a Lou Fo Tong to clear the lungs and thaw a cold chest. Treat the greens poorly, and they turn bitter. The secret is thermal shock, plunging the greens into a furious, rolling boil to lock in their sweetness. This achieves hours-long depth on a Tuesday night. Skim the surface, ladle it hot, and drink it before you touch the rice.
Ingredients
- pork neck bones or spare ribs1 1/2 lb
- fresh watercress1 large bunch
- carrots2 med
- sweet corn1 med ear
- Chinese honey dates3 small
- fresh ginger1 small slice
- fine sea salt1 tsp
Method
- 01
Purge the watercress to remove hidden grit and pests.
Submerge the unchopped watercress in a large basin of cold water mixed with a tablespoon of salt for 15 minutes, then thoroughly rinse under cold running water two to three times.
- 02
Blanch the pork bones in cold water to guarantee a crystal-clear broth.
Place the bones in a pot, cover completely with cold water, and bring to a vigorous boil for 3 to 5 minutes. Dump the contents into a colander, scrubbing away any gray foam and coagulated blood under cold running water.
- 03
Build the broth under pressure to extract hours of flavor in a fraction of the time.
Place the clean bones, carrots, corn, honey dates, and ginger into a pressure cooker with 8 to 10 cups of cold water. Cook on High Pressure for 40 minutes, then let the pressure release naturally for 15 minutes.
- 04
Force a furious, rolling boil before adding the watercress to prevent bitterness.
Remove the lid, set the machine to Sauté mode on High, and wait until the liquid bubbles violently. Plunge the clean watercress into the pot, pushing it down with a ladle so it is fully submerged, and boil uncovered for 10 to 15 minutes.
- 05
Season the soup only at the very end to protect the texture of the pork.
Turn off the heat, skim away any excess fat from the surface, and stir in the salt. Serve hot, making sure everyone gets a piece of tender, bone-in pork to dip in a little light soy sauce at the table.
Notes
The traditional stovetop method.
If you have the time, skip the pressure cooker. Simmer the blanched bones and aromatics in 12 cups of water over low heat for 1 1/2 to 2 hours before turning the heat back to high for the watercress drop.
Embrace the odd ingredients.
To elevate this to banquet-level authenticity, visit your local Asian market for sweet and bitter apricot kernels or dried duck gizzards. They provide a medicinal, marzipan-like undertone and a massive hit of cured umami.