Introduction:

The leftover bones from a holiday ham or turkey can be used to create a delicious, flavourful soup base.  In this case, we used an Easter ham and combined it with traditional Chinese ingredients to create a favourite soup from our childhood, a sour vegetable soup.

The preserved mustard greens combine with the saltiness of the ham to create a clear, tangy broth with a unique, warm flavour that is easy to drink.   It’s also great for children because of the neutral ingredients.

This soup is very easy to make with very little prep work.  

1 leftover ham bone
A few pieces fresh pork bones (optional, only if the ham bone is small)
1 package preserved mustard greens
3 pieces dried scallop
2 pieces dried string figs

How do I prepare it?

1. Rinse and then soak the dried scallop and figs in cool water for at least 30 minutes
2. Boil your soup water and put in the ham bone, pork bones (optional), dried scallops and dried figs 
3. Boil for one hour
4. Rinse the preserved mustard greens briefly in water and chop into smaller pieces
5. 10 minutes before serving the soup, put the preserved mustard greens in and boil a few minutes longer
6. Serve and enjoy!

Any benefits?

• This soup is easy to make and tasty
• It is also great for children who may appreciate the tangy taste

Any precautions?

• If the ham bone is too large for your soup pot, you may consider bringing it to a butcher to cut into smaller pieces.