Old Cucumber Soup with Carrots
Servings: 8 servings
Ingredients
- 800 grams pork ribs for soup 800克猪肋排（用于煲汤）
- 3 large carrots 500 grams 3个大胡萝卜 (500克）
- 1 old cucumber （+/-900 ）1个老黄瓜 （+/-900克）
- 3 litres water 3升水
- 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/4茶匙盐
Instructions
Clean and Blanch the pork ribs
- Rinse the pork ribs thoroughly with water.
- Place the pork ribs in a pot with room temperature water.
- Bring to a boil. (Starting with room temperature water helps draw out impurities.)
- Remove the pork ribs and set aside.
Prepare the carrots
- Trim the ends and cut into large chunks.
- Set aside.
Prepare the old cucumber
- Clean the cucumber thoroughly and scrub with a bit of salt under running water.
- Trim the ends, slice in half, and remove the seeds.
- Cut into large chunks.
Cook the soup
- Add pork ribs, carrots, and old cucumber into a large pot.
- Pour in water and bring to a boil.
- Simmer the soup
- Reduce to the lowest heat and simmer for about 4 hours.
Season the soup
- Add salt and mix well.
Notes
Start with room temperature water:
This helps draw out impurities from the pork ribs for a cleaner broth. Blanch the ribs first:
Blanching removes impurities and improves the taste of the soup. Scrub the cucumber with salt:
This helps clean the skin thoroughly without peeling it. Cut ingredients into large chunks:
Larger pieces hold their shape better during long simmering. Simmer on low heat:
Gentle simmering allows the natural sweetness of the ingredients to develop.
This helps draw out impurities from the pork ribs for a cleaner broth. Blanch the ribs first:
Blanching removes impurities and improves the taste of the soup. Scrub the cucumber with salt:
This helps clean the skin thoroughly without peeling it. Cut ingredients into large chunks:
Larger pieces hold their shape better during long simmering. Simmer on low heat:
Gentle simmering allows the natural sweetness of the ingredients to develop.