Lotus Root Soup With Pork Ribs (排骨莲藕汤)
This lotus root soup features tender pork ribs, mushrooms and peanuts braised together to create a fragrant soup that is healing and nutritious. No matter whether you're recovering from a cold or simply need something comforting, this soup is perfect for you. {Gluten-Free}For a gluten-free dipping sauce, use tamari to replace soy sauce and use rice vinegar instead of Chinkiang vinegar.
Servings: 4 to 6 servings
Ingredients
For the soup
- 6 shiitake mushrooms , rehydrated (or 2 pieces dried kelp) (*Footnote 1)
- 1 lb (450 g) pork spare ribs strips , cut into single or double ribs along the bone (*Footnote 2)
- 1 lb (450 g) lotus root
- 1/4 cup raw peanuts
- 1 thumb ginger , sliced
- 1/4 teaspoon salt (or to taste) (*Footnote 3)
- 1 green onion , sliced (for garnish)
For the dipping sauce (optional)
- 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon Chinkiang vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
Instructions
- Place the shiitake mushrooms in a medium-sized bowl and pour boiling water on top to cover by at least 1” (2.5 cm). Press them down to submerge into the water. Rehydrate for 20 minutes, until they turn soft throughout. Once done, drain the mushrooms and set aside.
- Add pork spareribs and 10 cups of water into a large pot. Bring to a boil over high heat. Skim the foam from the surface until the soup is clear, 10 minutes or so.
- While boiling the ribs, prepare the lotus root. Wash lotus root carefully. Peel the root and remove tough ends. Cut into 2 equal parts lengthwise, then chop into irregular bite size pieces.
- Place lotus root into the pot along with the ribs. Add the soaked mushrooms, peanuts, ginger, and the 1/4 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil over high heat. Cover, turn to medium heat, and low boil for 1.5 to 2 hours, until the ribs almost fall off the bones and the lotus root becomes very tender. Add more salt to taste, if needed. And garnish with the green onions.
- You can enjoy the pork ribs by mixing and serving with the dipping sauce. You can also eat the ribs by simply sprinkling some salt over them.
Notes
- Both shiitake mushroom and kelp add savory flavor and nutritional value to the soup. But you can also skip them and the soup will still be very delicious.
- Like I mentioned in the blog post, it's best to buy shorter ribs from the Chinese grocery store (slabs of ribs cut across the bones). Depending on the length of the ribs, you can cut them to single ribs (for ribs longer than 2” / 5 cm), or double ribs (for ribs shorter than 2” / 5 cm). If you use a regular slab of ribs, cut them to single ribs.
- This is a very lightly seasoned soup. Because the soup will be so flavorful from the ingredients, it tastes great to me without a lot of salt. But feel free to add more salt if you prefer.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving, Calories: 385kcal, Carbohydrates: 13.2g, Protein: 20.3g, Fat: 29.1g, Saturated Fat: 9.3g, Cholesterol: 90mg, Sodium: 221mg, Potassium: 302mg, Fiber: 2.7g, Sugar: 0.6g, Calcium: 43mg, Iron: 2mg