Beetroot Vegetables with Pork Ribs Soup

by | Feb 5, 2014 | Soups for Children | 2 comments

 

Red Beet Vegetables with Pork Ribs Soup

 

Soup Name: Beetroot Vegetables with Pork Ribs Soup

Traditional Chinese Name:  紅菜頭集菜湯 (hóng cài tóu jí cài tāng)

Introduction:
It’s Chinese New Year’s and what better time to make a blood red soup than this special holiday? The red beet is as red as a vegetable as you can get and mixed with other hearty vegetables, makes for a meal in itself! Use any type of pork meat and boil it for the red beets to seep out its rich, vibrant red.  I forewarned the children that this would be a more “unique” soup, but after one sip, they loved it! It’s also a very neutral soup ideal for the whole family.

 

Amount serves: 6-8 soup bowls

What Ingredients are required?

1 pound of fresh pork ribs
2 large beetroots, cut into large cubes
2 large carrots, sliced
1 white onion, halved
1 celery stalk, sliced
2 fresh tomatoes, quartered
15 dried longans

2 L of water

How do I prepare it?

  1. In a small pot, boil some water to blanch your pork ribs
  2. Blanch the ribs in boiling water for about 5 minutes, drain and set aside (some people rinse the pork ribs with warm water to rinse away the brown foam that usually surfaces when blanching pork)
  3. In your soup pot, start boiling the water
  4. Prepare all your vegetables
  5. When the water boils, add all the vegetables and the blanched pork and longans together
  6. Boil on high for 30 minutes and reduce to a medium simmer for another 1.5 hours (or use a thermal pot)
  7. Serve and enjoy!

Any benefits?

  • Excellent source of Vitamin C and antioxidants
  • Eats like a meal with plenty of vegetables (and great source of fiber)
  • Excellent in supporting blood supplement and helps lower blood pressure (because the beetroot contains nitrates which help open the blood vessels and helps with circulation)

Any precautions?

  • Consumption of beetroot may turn your urine or stool slightly reddish, there is nothing to fear in this as it is harmless. Just let it pass through your system.
  • The colour of the beetroot will stain your hands, so either wear gloves or use some lemon juice to help remove