Chinese Herbal Recipes - Watercress Sparerib Soup
Chinese Herbal Recipes - Watercress (xi yang cai) Sparerib Soup is well known for its nutraceutical value. In addition to its high vitamin C and antioxidant Beta-carotene contents, it is also rich in vitamin E and is a natural antibiotic. It is often used in complementary medicine to speed up detoxification processes; clear heat in the body and nourish the lungs. In this soup, watercress is boiled with figs (wu hua guo), sweet apricot seed (bei xingren), bitter apricot seed (nan xingren) and spareribs to enhance its taste and nutritional value. This is an excellent cooling soup for the whole family—easy to prepare, delicious, yet nutritious. It can be served as a dish in a meal.
Chinese Herbal Recipes - Watercress Sparerib Soup Ingredient:
350 gm watercress (xi yang cai)
3 litres (12 cups) water
4 dried figs (wu hua guo), halved and rinsed
2 tablepsoons sweet apricot seed (bei xingren), rinsed
2 tablepsoons bitter apricot seed (nan xingren), rinsed
500 gm spareribs, rinsed and scalded with boiling water
5 slices fresh ginger root
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
Chinese Herbal Recipes - Watercress Sparerib Soup Method:
1. Rinse the watercress well. Soak in lightly salted water for 1 hour, then rinse again in a couple of changes of water and drain.
2. Bring the water to a boil in a stockpot. Add all the ingredients, except the watercress and salt, and cook over high heat for 20 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and simmer uncovered for 1 hour. Add the watercress and continue to simmer for 1 more hour. Season with the salt and remove from the heat. Serve hot in individual serving bowls.