Soup Name: Water Chestnuts and Pork Spring Soup
Traditional Chinese Name: 馬蹄豬湯 (matí zhū tāng)
Introduction:
With Spring just around the corner, this simple and hearty soup is a perfect way to welcome in the warming weather. This soup, along with a simple bowl of brown rice, served as dinner for my whole family, including our two-year old daughter. Water chestnuts add a delicious sweetness, a crunchy texture and creates a “cool” soup perfect for the season. Add in some hearty beans and vegetables to round out the meal.
What Ingredients are required?
1 pound of fresh pork meat (or pork bones)
3 carrots
8 chinese mushrooms
1 handful of dried black beans
15 – 20 pieces water chestnuts
2-3 L of water
How do I prepare it?
- If using pork bones, pre-marinate the pork with the salt and let it sit for at least an hour (overnight is best)
- Begin boiling your soup water
- Boil a separate pot to blanch pork
- Soak black beans and chinese mushrooms
- Chop chinese mushrooms into quarters or slices
- Wash, peel and cut carrots
- When water boils, add all the ingredients together
- Boil for at least 1 hour (longer if you wish the snow fungus softer)
- Serve and enjoy!
Any benefits?
- Water Chestnuts are a relatively cooling food and can help relieve coughs
- Pork contains many nutrients (including 6 essential vitamins) and is a good source of iron, zinc, Vitamin B6 and protein
- Black beans are an excellent source of cholesterol-lowering fiber, iron, manganese and high quality protein
- An easy, hearty and nutritious soup!
Very good. I love your website.
may i ask the soaking of black beans and mushroom, is it with hot water or cold water?
ingredients din ask for snow fungus, but u state in the cooking, so is there snow fungus needed?
Ivy, soak in cold water or room temperature water is OK. Hot water will start the “cooking” process, which is not ideal. In most Chinese soups, you add ingredients to “boiling” water. Hope this helps.
Lisa
I think it will help alot more if you could be slightly more precise in the ingredients??? (: for starters new to chinese cooking. like me. i have no idea at all about the amount of salt or pepper or soy sauce or sesame oil needed. or any things needed to put into the boiling water? i just boil plain water and put ingredients in???
Yes, Chinese soups can be very easy to make! Simply put ingredients into plain water and boil everything together. There is no need to add pepper, sesame oil, etc… unless the soup calls for it (such as a white pepper soup).
For salt, it’s up to each drinker to add what tastes good to you. Personally, I try not to add any salt because I feel it is healthier not to (we get enough salt in our diets from other foods) and often, I simply enjoy the natural flavours from the ingredients which come through in the broth.
Hope that helps!