Vietnamese Mustard Green Soup with Pork Spare Ribs (Canh Cai Be Xanh Nau Suon Heo)

Vietnamese Mustard Green Soup with Pork Spare Ribs (Canh Cai Be Xanh Nau Suon Heo)

from vickypham.com
Soup
60 min

A traditional Vietnamese soup side dish with pork ribs and mustard greens. Pair with steamed rice for a complete meal.

Ingredients

  • ¾ lbpork spare ribs (cut into bite-size pieces)
  • 2 teaspoonssalt (half for cleaning)
  • 1 teaspoonchicken bouillon powder
  • 1 teaspoongranulated white sugar
  • 2 teaspoonsvegetable oil
  • 2garlic cloves (peel and mince)
  • half of small yellow onion
  • 2 literswater
  • 1 teaspoonsalt
  • 1 teaspoonchicken bouillon powder
  • 1 teaspoongranulated white sugar
  • ¼ teaspoonmsg (optional)
  • 1 bunchchinese mustard greens (cai be xanh; cut into 2-inch segments)
  • ground black pepper

Directions

  1. 1

    Optional by highly recommended: Cleaning/parboiling the pork ribs will remove all the impurities and foul-smell of pork. Add bones and salt (1 teaspoon) to small stock pot and fill with water to cover. Bring the pot to a rolling boil on the stove (uncovered). Once it comes to a rolling boil and foam/impurities float to the top, immediately turn off heat. Place a colander in the sink and pour content of pot into the colander, discarding the dirty water. Rinse bones under cold running water and drain dry.

  2. 2

    To the parboiled bones, marinate with remaining salt (1 teaspoon), stock powder and sugar for at least 30 minutes.

  3. 3

    To a small stock pot, heat vegetable oil on medium high. Add garlic and onions. Saute until fragrant (10-20 seconds only). Add marinated pork spare ribs and quickly toss to coat in aromatics.

  4. 4

    Add water and bring pot to a boil. Reduce heat to a low simmer and cook for 40 minutes. Occasionally skim off any foam that float to the top. Scoop out and discard yellow onion once it becomes translucent and limp.

  5. 5

    Season stock with salt, stock powder, sugar and MSG.

  6. 6

    Add Chinese mustard green and cook for additional 5 minutes. Turn off heat and transfer to a serving bowl. Top with a dash of black pepper for a beautiful finish.