Watercress and Pork Bone Soup
A nutrient-packed, comforting soup that's great for when you're sick, or feeling "yeet hay"!
Ingredients
- 1.5 lb pork bones pork neck bones or spare ribs
- 10 cups water
- 2 cups warm water (for rehydrating ingredients)
- 1 lb watercress
- 1 large carrot
- 2 dried duck kidneys optional
- small handful dried scallop
- 1 tsp north dried apricot seed or kernels (aka north dried almonds)
- 2 tbsp south dried apricot seed or kernels (aka south dried almonds)
- 2 dried / candied dates
- 1/2 of a whole dried tangerine peel
- 2 inch knob of ginger
- 1.5 tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp white pepper
Instructions
Prepare the ingredients
- Give the dried scallop, dried duck kidney, dried dates, and the north and south dried almonds a good rinse. Put them in a bowl with 2 cups of warm water, and cover to let rehydrate.2 dried duck kidneys, small handful dried scallop, 1 tsp north dried apricot seed or kernels, 2 tbsp south dried apricot seed or kernels, 2 dried / candied dates, 2 cups warm water
- Soak the dried tangerine peel in a separate bowl.1/2 of a whole dried tangerine peel
- Wash and soak watercress in large bowl of water. If there are white roots or debris, remove them.1 lb watercress
- Peel and slice the carrots into 1 inch pieces (I like the roll-cut or oblique cut for this).1 large carrot
- After 5-10 minutes, the tangerine peel should be soft. Scrape off the pith (the white fibrous part) with a spoon. The pith is bitter, so removing this will prevent your soup from becoming bitter.
Parboil the pork bones
- Boil the pork bones in a pot of boiling water for 5-10 minutes. Drain, then give the pork bones and pot a good rinse to remove any scum.1.5 lb pork bones
Make the soup
- Break apart the rehydrated scallop with your fingers.
- Slice the dried duck kidney into smaller, bite-sized pieces.
- Bring the pork bones and 10 cups of water to boil with ginger, mandarin peel, candied / dried dates, scallop, duck kidney, north and south dried almond, and the water they were rehydrating in.10 cups water, 2 inch knob of ginger
- Remove any scum that floats to the surface.
- Once it starts boiling, reduce to a simmer and cover with a lid. Simmer for about 2 hours.
- Add the carrots and watercress. Simmer for another 1 hour, covered.
- Skim off any excess oil on the surface of the soup.
- Season with salt and pepper. Enjoy!1.5 tsp salt, 1/8 tsp white pepper
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
hi there ! is the dried almond seeds optional? I hate eating them but i it is meant for flavor then I will add it. please let me know. ty.
Hi Sue! They add flavor and nutrition to the soup, but you don’t need to if you don’t like them!
This recipe has been excellent! Thanks for sharing! I love the soup.
Hi Brenda! Thank you for letting me know that you enjoyed it! It’s one of my family’s favorites too :)