Watercress soup
西洋菜汤
Serves 3-4
A favourite light and clear soup of mine that I’ve been drinking since I was a child.
I adore the taste of watercress, in soups, stir-frys or salads.
*
a bundle of fresh watercress
blanched pork ribs (you can substitute this with chicken drumstick)
5-6 dried red dates (stones removed)
sea salt to taste
First
Pluck the leaves from the stalks and let them soak for about 15 minutes in
salted water to remove the grime. Wash stalks under running water.
Second
Bring a pot of water to boil. Put in the blanched pork ribs, dates and the
stalks. (Use chicken stock if you prefer to put in shredded chicken drumstick
instead of ribs.) Bring to a rolling boil for about 10 minutes and lower down
the heat to a simmer. I usually transfer this to a slow cooker, but if you
do not have you you can simmer the soup on low heat for about 1½ hours.The
stems will soften. Skim off the oil periodically.
Add the watercress leaves and boil again for another 20 mins. Add sea salt to taste.