chinese watercress soup

Chinese watercress soup (or “sai yeung choy tong” as the Cantonese call it) is a classic Hakka recipe. The broth, made with cooked watercress and tender pork ribs make for a warming, delicious and nutritious soup.

Chinese Watercress Soup with Pork Ribs (Sai Yeung Choy Tong)

pork

ginger ((⅛-inch thick and smashed))

water

watercress ((per your personal preference; each bunch is about 8 ounces))

sea salt ((or

White pepper

Soy sauce

First, blanch the ribs. In a large pot, bring 6 cups of water to a boil. Add the pork ribs. Bring the water back up to a simmer, and after 2 minutes, turn off the heat. Drain and wash the ribs clean under running water. This step is important––it keeps your broth clear and clean tasting.

Put the blanched pork ribs, smashed ginger slices, and 8 cups of water in a clean pot. Bring the water to a boil, and immediately turn the heat down to low. Simmer for 90 minutes, covered. Cantonese soups require low heat for a delicate favor and clear broth. Check on the soup periodically to make sure it is lightly simmering, but not boiling.

In the meantime, prepare the watercress by trimming off the large tough stems, and washing thoroughly in water 2-3 times.

After 90 minutes, stir in 1¼ teaspoons of salt, cover, and simmer for another 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes, give your soup a quick stir, and use a fine-mesh strainer to remove any floating particles. Next, use a ladle to skim off the excess grease that is floating at the top of the soup. Stir in the watercress, cover, and bring up to a simmer. Then lower the heat and cook the soup for 15-30 minutes. I personally like to simmer the watercress soup for 30 minutes at this stage, so the soup takes on that distinctive watercress flavor. Though keep in mind that the watercress will not be as vibrant. Feel free to adjust the cooking time based on your preference.

Season to taste with salt and white pepper. Serve the soup with a hot bowl of rice and a small dish of light soy sauce as a dipping sauce for the pork. After cooking in the soup for so long, the ribs are melt-in-your-mouth tender and perfect with a little soy sauce. You can enjoy this classic Chinese Watercress Soup the way Cantonese families tend to serve it––as the first course of a meal, but it also makes a great, simple one-pot meal for a cold day.

Chinese watercress soup with honey dates is great to drink when you're down with headache, cough or flu. It's medicinal properties will ensure that you'll recover faster after drinking it!

Chinese Watercress Soup with Honey Dates

Bundles Watercress

Pork

carcasses Chicken Bones

2-4 Chicken Feet (optional)

Water (for blanching the bones)

0.5 TBsp Sweet Almonds (Nan Xing)

0.5 TBsp Bitter Almonds (Bei Xing)

Honey Dates (or mee zhou)

Red Dates

TBsp Wolfberries

2.5 litres Water (to boil the soup)

Wash the pork and chicken bones, and chicken feet.&nbsp;

Blanch the pork bones in a small pot of boiling water for 10 mins. Then add the chicken bones and feet to blanch for another 3 mins. Discard the water and rinse the bones thoroughly, using a knife to scrap off remaining blood clots.

Separate the watercress leaves from the stalks.&nbsp;Discard leaves with black spots and remove any tiny roots from the stalks. Wash in a basin with a tsp of salt to get rid of any mud, then rinse thoroughly in tap water.

PREPARATION METHOD

Place the pork bones, chicken bones together with all the watercress stalks in the large pot of boiling water (2.5 litres). Boil for 1 hr on medium high heat.

Remove all the stalks from the soup. Then add in the leaves, sweet almonds, bitter almonds, chicken feet and honey dates and continue to boil over medium heat for another hour.

Lastly, add in the red dates and wolfberries and continue to boil for 15 mins. Ladle into bowls and serve.

COOKING METHOD

This Chinese Watercress Soup will make every family weekday dinner complete. It&#039;s full of nutrients and is refreshingly light, packed with earthy flavours to keep you satisfied for the whole week!

Chinese Watercress Soup (西洋菜汤)

L chicken and pork stock

watercress ((we buy it from the local Asian supermarket))

dehydrated shiitake mushrooms

honey dates

carrots,

jujubes ((Chinese red dates))

salt,

chicken bouillon powder

Bring the chicken and pork stock to a boil and add the chicken bouillon powder along with the salt.

Throw in the carrots, mushrooms, honey dates and jujubes and let it simmer for 15 minutes.

When the carrots have softened, bring the broth up to a boil and add the watercress in.

Keep the soup on a medium to low heat so that it gently simmers for another 20 minutes.

To serve, enjoy as is or pour over your leftover rice!

This Chinese Watercress Soup will make every family weekday dinner complete. It's full of nutrients and is refreshingly light, packed with earthy flavors to keep you satisfied for the whole week!

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🥣 INGREDIENTS 🥣
• 5 L chicken and pork stock (use more pork ribs if you like eating it with the soup)
• 2 bundles watercress (we buy it from the local Asian supermarket)
• 3 dehydrated shiitake mushrooms
• 2 dried honey dates
• 2 carrots (peeled and sliced)
• 3 dried jujubes (Chinese red dates)
• 1 tsp salt (or to taste)
• 1 tbsp chicken bouillon powder

👩‍🍳 INSTRUCTIONS 👨‍🍳
1. Bring the chicken and pork stock to a boil and add the chicken bouillon powder along with the salt.

2. Throw in the carrots, mushrooms, honey dates and jujubes and let it simmer for 15 minutes.

3. When the carrots have softened, bring the broth up to a boil and add the watercress in.

4. Keep the soup on a medium to low heat so that it gently simmers for another 20 minutes.

5. To serve, enjoy as is or pour over your leftover rice!

🔎 FIND THE PART YOU NEED 🔍
0:00 - Intro
0:30 - Making the stock
0:45 - Preparing and washing the watercress
1:38 - Preparing the carrots
1:47 - Adding the dried ingredients
1:58 - Cooking the watercress
2:23 - Tips for the best results
2:48 - Let's enjoy the memories!

🔊 OTHER RECIPE MENTIONS 🔊
▸ Grandma’s PERFECT Chicken and Pork Stock! 👵: https://youtu.be/sfykQ-I0YXg
▸ Vietnamese Beef Salad (Bò Xào Xà Lách Xoong): https://www.wokandkin.com/vietnamese-beef-salad/

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The Wok & Kin family shares authentic home-cooked Chinese and Vietnamese recipes so you can reconnect with the dishes you grew up loving! Read more about our story here:
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🙏 SPECIAL THANKS 🙏
▸ Chinese Watercress Soup recipe by Ma Ma (Grandma)
▸ Produced and Edited by Jeannette Ta
▸ Epidemic Sound Track: https://www.epidemicsound.com/track/kHnP2sbLhn/

I Can Drink Ma Ma's Chinese Watercress Soup EVERY DAY! 👵❤️ (西洋菜汤)

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