Spinach, Pork & Century Egg Soup

I was inspired to cook this Chinese-style spinach, pork & century egg soup after eating a similar dish from a popular spinach soup stall at Amoy market. My bowl contains Chinese spinach, minced pork, century egg & wolfberries. The cooking time on the stove is only about 10 minutes! If you prepare the ingredients the night before (e.g. pluck & wash the veggies, marinate the meat etc), you can whip this up effortlessly and quickly when you reach home after work.

Related Recipe:
Chinese Spinach Macaroni Soup Recipe
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Chinese Spinach, Pork & Century Egg Soup Recipe
The Chinese spinach leaves need to be cooked in the boiling soup for only about a minute or two, so this soup cooks quickly. Avoid overcooking the spinach so that it returns its vibrant green hue when served. Chinese Spinach, Pork & Century Egg Soup Recipe
The minced pork is marinated in soy sauce, sesame oil, Chinese wine & corn flour. It is tender and flavourful after cooking. If you don’t consume pork, use minced chicken instead. Serve this homely spinach soup with a bowl of rice or add noodles pasta (bee hoon, tang hoon, macaroni) to make it a one-dish meal.

Spinach, Pork & Century Egg Soup Recipe

This spinach soup is comfort food at its best. Serve this with a bowl of rice. You can add noodles or macaroni to make this a one-dish meal.

For variations, you can use other ingredients such as prawns, mushrooms or salted eggs.

Ingredients:

  • 200g minced pork (or chicken)
  • 1 packet (200-250g) Chinese sharp/round spinach (苋菜)
  • 1 litre water
  • 1 chicken bouillon cube, preferably MSG-free
  • 1 century egg cubed
  • 1 tbsp wolfberries (枸杞子) soaked in water until puffy & drained just before use
  • salt or light soy sauce to taste; only if needed
  • a saucer of sliced chilli padi in light soy sauce

(A) Marinade

  • 1 tbsp light soy sauce
  • 1/2 tsp fish sauce
  • 1/2 tbsp Chinese wine (Hua Tiao/Shaoxing)
  • 1/2 tbsp sesame oil
  • 5 dashes white pepper powder
  • 1/2 tbsp corn flour (starch)

Directions:

  1. Marinade minced pork (or chicken) with seasonings (A) for at least 30 minutes in the fridge.
  2. Prepare Chinese spinach. Pluck the leaves (discard the stems), rinse in a colander, drain and set aside.
  3. Make the soup. In a large soup pot, boil water with bouillon cube. Reduce to a simmer. Using two spoons, flatten one spoonful of marinated pork before adding to the boiling soup. Do so until all the pork is used up. Add spinach leaves and century egg; boil for 1 minute. Season the soup to taste with salt or soy sauce, only if needed. Add wolfberries and turn off the stove. Serve with a saucer of chilli padi.