Watercress and Pork Rib Soup
The cool thing about food blogging is that you find all sorts of fun facts. I always thought watercress soup was one of mom’s random home cooking, but it turns out that it’s a Hawaiian dish too. I also saw interesting variations with dates and wolfberries, but this version here is foolproof combo of meat, veggies, and tofu. Another good one pot dish for the hungry/busy med student.
Boiling meat breaks down tough connective tissues between the muscle fibers. This results in the beef shrinking, tenderizing and soaking up the flavor and spices of the cooking liquid. Yum. And meat on bone is always the best. They say ‘the nearer the bone, the sweeter the meat’ – it’s because the fat in the marrow escapes into the meat when you heat it.
I’m terrible with cooking meat because of my impatience. Don’t boil it too high for too long in an effort to shortcut the time or the meat will toughen; simmer on low for a long time to keep the meat tender.
Watercress and Pork Rib Soup
Ingredients
1 lb pork ribs
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
1/2 yellow onion, sliced
water
salt and pepper, to taste
1 package firm tofu, cubed
1 bunch watercress, ends trimmed, then roughly cut
Directions
Boil pork ribs along with garlic and onions in large soup pot with enough water to cover the ribs in high for about 5 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste.
Lower heat, add tofu, and simmer (with lid partially closed) on low for 60 min. Add watercress and simmer another 20 minutes. Serve with rice.
