Lotus Root and Dried Octopus Soup 章魚蓮藕湯

Step 1

Optional: rinse pork bones with water and put into a pot

Step 2

Add water to the pot until the water covers the pork bones. On high heat, bring the pork bones to a boil. Turn off heat

Step 3

Rinse off the bone fragments and impurities from the pork bones and put into a clean pot If you don’t want to rinse the meat, you can wipe them clean with a paper towel

Step 4

Soak 2 honey dates and a piece of dried mandarin peel in water for around 5 minutes. I used one piece of mandarin peel that’s approx. 1” x 1” If you like the taste of mandarin peel, you can add more

Step 5

If your mandarin peel still has some of the membrane on it (white layer), scrape it off with a knife or spoon

Step 6

Place the honey dates and mandarin peel into the pot with the pork bones

Step 7

Peel carrots, cut into small pieces and put them in the pot

Step 8

Peel lotus root and slice into small pieces and put them in the pot

Step 9

Add 2.5L of water to the pot and bring to a boil

Step 10

Rinse dried octopus and wipe clean with kitchen towels

Step 11

Turn heat to medium in a wok or pan. Place octopus into wok. You can cut up the octopus if it’s too big to fit

Step 12

Toast the octopus on both sides until aromatic and until it has obviously shrunk in size. This should take approx. 6-8 minutes

Step 13

Add the octopus into the pot

Step 14

When the soup comes to a boil, reduce the heat to low and boil for a total of 2 hours

Step 15

Soak the mung beans for approx. 1 hour

Step 16

After 1 hour, drain the mung beans and add to the soup since octopus is considered a warming ingredient, to ensure that the soup is not too heaty, mung beans are added to cut the heatiness. If you like the mung beans super soft, adding thickness to the soup, you can add it with the rest of the ingredients. Adding it after 1 hour will keep your broth clean and the mung beans whole at the time of serving

Step 17

Boil for another hour on low heat

Step 18

Serve. Note that I did not have to add any salt because the octopus had flavour and natural sea salt on it. But if it’s not enough, you can add salt to taste.