Snow Pear Soup
Check Out: Chinese ABC Soup Recipe
Snow pear soup with pork ribs is a light tasting and thirst-quenching soup which is perfect for our hot climate as snow pears are known for their cooling properties. Chinese almonds and snow fungus are said to boost health benefits such as improving blood circulation, strengthening respiratory system and aiding weight loss. Thanks to my buddy anemone for sharing her recipe with me.
Snow Pear Soup Recipe
Snow pears are used in this recipe as they are sweeter and boost cooling properties. If you can’t find them, you can substitute with other types of Chinese pears.
Ingredients:
- 250g pork ribs
- 2 large snow pears 雪梨 (about 300g each) peeled and cored, cut to large chunks
- 10g snow fungus (aka white jelly fungus, white wood ear, silver ear, 雪儿)
- 1 tsp bitter almonds (aka Northern almonds/北杏) and 2 tsp sweet almonds (aka Southern almonds /南杏)
- 8 pitted red dates
- 1.2 litres water
- salt to taste
Directions:
- Soak snow fungus in a bowl of hot water for 15 minutes, then carefully drain the fungus. The white fungus should become puffed up and turn a whiter shade. Using a pair of kitchen scissors, trim and discard the hard part on the centre underside of the fungus. Cut the rest of the fungus to smaller pieces and set aside.
- Blanch pork ribs in boiling water for about 5 minutes, to remove the dirty bits so that you have clear soup later. Rinse blanched pork pieces and set aside.
- In a soup pot, add blanched pork, pear, Chinese almonds, red dates and water. Simmer (with lid partially open for ventilation) for about 20 minutes.
- Add cut fungus and continue simmering for another 20 minutes. Season with sea salt. For best results, keep warm in a thermal pot for a few hours until ready to serve.
Noob Cook Tip
Bitter almonds in its raw state are said to be toxic if consumed in large amounts. Even though these almonds are cooked, do not add too much of it to be safe (1 tsp is more than enough to me). You can also substitute with sweet almonds if you are more comfortable with it.