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Chinese Pork Soup with Coconut Milk | herbal soup | recipes | ribs | easy | healthy | gluten-free | vegetables

Chinese Coconut Pork Soup

A sweet, nutty and hearty pork soup loaded with tender ribs and vegetables. Not only is the soup delicious, it also nourishes your body, boosts your immune system, and re-energizes you after a long trip!
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 5 hours 18 minutes
Course: Main
Cuisine: Chinese
Servings: 4 to 6
Author: Maggie Zhu

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds (1 kilograms) pork ribs (about half rack of ribs), chopped crosswise and then separated to bite size (*Footnote 1)
  • 2 pounds (1 kilograms) pork neck bones
  • Option 1: 1 pack American Ginseng and Sea Coconut Herbal Mix *Footnote 2
  • Option 2: 1 can coconut milk
  • 1/2 thumb ginger , sliced
  • 4 green onions , halved lengthwise
  • 1 small taro root , cubed (or yam) (yield about 1 cup)
  • 1 small sweet potato , cubed (yield about 1 cup)
  • 1/2 Daikon radish , cubed (yield about 1 cup)
  • 1 small head broccoli , cut to bite size
  • /2 cup green peas (Optional)
  • Salt to taste

Instructions

  • Add pork ribs, pork neck bones, and cold water just to cover the pork in a big pot.  
  • (Option 1) Rinse the herbal mix, and transfer to a large spice bag, or wrap in cheesecloth and tie with kitchen twine. Add into the pot.
  • Bring the water to a simmer over medium-high heat, then turn to medium heat. Skim the brown foam from the top of the soup and discard. Boil for 10 to 15 minutes, or until there is no brown foam coming up.
  • Transfer the pork and spice bag into a big bowl and discard the water. Rinse the pot. Add the pork ribs and spice bag back and add 10 cups cold water. Bring into a boil again over high heat, then turn to medium low heat immediately. Simmer until the pork turns tender but not yet fall-off-the-bone by touch, about 2 hours (Footnote 3).
  • Add the taro root, sweet potato, and daikon radish. Cook for 15 minutes. Add the broccoli and green peas. Simmer for another 3 to 5 minutes, until all the vegetables turn tender. Add salt to taste and mix well.
  • (Option 2) If you did not use the herbal soup mix, add the coconut milk now and stir to mix well.
  • Serve hot as a main dish. You can also make some dumpling dipping sauce to serve with the pork.

Notes

  1. Ask the butcher to chop the pork ribs for you when you’re making the purchase. Although you don’t have to do this step, it makes the pork easier to serve.
  2. Chinese herbal mix will add a superior fragrance to the soup, plus it gives the soup more nutritional value. The herbal mix contains: 2 tablespoons goji berries, 3 honey dates, 2 slices Asian pear, 14 dried lotus seeds, 3 tablespoons Chinese almonds, 1 heaping tablespoon ginseng, and 1/3 cup dried sea coconut. You can get the ingredients separately at an Asian market, or purchase them together at Root and Spring.
  3. You can complete this step using an Instant Pot (pressure cooker). If using an Instant Pot, choose manual, and set the timer to 30 minutes. If using a stovetop pressure cooker, cook over medium high heat until high pressure is reached. Turn to medium low heat. Continue to cook 30 minutes.

Nutrition

Serving: 1of the 4 servings, Calories: 148kcal, Carbohydrates: 13g, Protein: 17.3g, Fat: 2.9g, Cholesterol: 41mg, Sodium: 1008mg, Potassium: 535mg, Fiber: 2.3g, Sugar: 4.7g, Calcium: 28mg, Iron: 3mg