A nourishing dish that’s simple to prepare and lightly seasoned, Chinese pork rib soup warms both your body and heart.
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About Chinese pork rib soup
Whenever the temperature drops, I crave a tasty bowl of Chinese soup, especially the meat-based ones with a clear broth. Today’s recipe, pork rib soup, is a great example of how a simple, humble soup can be so nourishing and tasty.
Classic Chinese pork rib soup (Pái Gǔ Tāng/排骨汤) commonly comes with a clear broth, known as Qīng Tāng/清汤, which is flavored with spices and/or herbs but free from soy sauce or other intensely flavored condiments (unlike brown-colored dishes like Beef with Daikon or Braised Pork Belly. The ribs are cooked to a tender texture and accompanied by a variety of vegetables.
What I love most about this dish is its simplicity and soothing taste. It’s beginner-friendly and can be partially prepared in advance. The seasoning is minimal, which allows the natural taste of the ingredients to shine.
Ingredients & substitutes
Here is a simple list of ingredients you need to make this soup:
- Pork ribs
- Fresh sweet corn on the cob
- Carrots
- Garlic
- Whole white peppercorn/black peppercorn, or both
- Scallions or coriander, for garnishing
- Salt
About pork ribs
In Chinese cuisine, pork ribs are commonly cut into bite-sized pieces before cooking (Think Sweet & Sour Ribs and Black Bean Ribs). This makes them easy to handle with chopsticks. The required cooking time is also reduced.
If you don’t have access to an Asian butcher, feel free to use regular-sized ribs for this recipe. Pick the pieces that have a good bone-to-meat ratio.
Vegetable substitutions
I choose sweetcorn and carrots for their vibrant colors and sweet tastes that balance the salty flavor. Daikon (white radish), lotus roots, winter melon, and kelp (Kombu) are popular choices too.
About the seasonings
Apart from salt, you only need garlic and white or black peppercorns. This simple combination eliminates any gamey taste of the meat (known as Xīng Wèi/腥味). It also lends aromas and a subtle warming heat to the soup.
To keep the soup clear, use unpeeled garlic and whole peppercorns. If unavailable, it’s fine to use ground white pepper as a substitute.
Cooking procedure
Step 1: Blanch the ribs
In a pot or wok, submerge the ribs in plenty of cold water. Bring it to a full boil and leave it to blanch for about 2 minutes.
During this time, you’ll notice brownish foam forming on the surface. Skim it off with a spoon. Then use a slotted spoon to remove all the ribs and discard the water.
🌟 NOTE: The blanching procedure (known as Chāo Shuǐ/焯水 in Chinese) is essential as it removes any impurity of the pork and reduces its gamey taste. Please do not skip it.
Step 2: Simmer the ribs
Return the ribs to the cleaned pot or wok. Cover them generously with hot water. Add salt, a bulb of garlic (washed but unpeeled), and whole peppercorns (see note below).
🌟 NOTE: To prevent peppercorns from floating around, place them in a strainer/infuser (see image above), or a small spice bag made of muslin cloth.
Bring the water to a boil, then turn the heat down to the lowest setting. Leave the ribs to simmer with the lid on for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the meat becomes tender.
Step 3: Cook the vegetables
Remove the garlic and peppercorns from the pot. Add sweet corn, sliced lengthwise into strips or cut into rounds, along with chunks of carrot. Pour in more hot water if you prefer more broth. Cook over medium heat with the lid on for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the carrots are soft.
Taste the broth and add more salt if necessary. Finally, garnish the soup with finely chopped scallions or cilantro (coriander).
🌟 NOTE: If using other vegetables, you may need to adjust the cooking time. For example, daikon and lotus roots take longer to cook through.
The Instant Pot method
You can use an Instant Pot to speed up the second step by setting it to cook for 15 minutes on high pressure, followed by a natural release. Step 1 and step 3 can be done in the Instant Pot using the sauté function or in a regular pot on the stovetop.
Make ahead
If you wish to prepare this soup in advance, follow these tips for best results:
- Blanch and cook the ribs as instructed. Remove the garlic and peppercorns.
- Store the meat and soup in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days or in the freeze for 3 months.
- Defrost then add the vegetables. Cook until the carrots soften.
Other warming dishes
Looking for more classic Chinese dishes that warm you up? Check out these delicious recipes:
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Love this recipe? Please leave a 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 rating and a comment. Thank you!
Pork Rib Soup (排骨汤)
Ingredients
- 1½ lb pork ribs - (see note 1)
- ¾ teaspoon salt - or to taste
- 1 bulb garlic - washed and unpeeled
- 1 tablespoon whole white pepper - or whole black pepper (see note 2)
- 1 ear fresh sweet corn - husks removed and cut into sections
- 1 large carrot - cut into chunks (see note 3)
- Scallions - or cilantro (coriander)
Instructions
Blanch the ribs
- Put pork ribs into a pot. Add cold water about 1 inch over the meat. Bring it to a boil.
- Skim off any foam appearing on the surface until there is no more. Take out the ribs and discard the water.
Simmer the ribs
- Put the ribs in the cleaned pot, then pour in 4 cups (1 liter) of hot water and add salt, the whole bulb of garlic, and peppercorns kept in a strainer or a spice bag.
- Bring the water to a full boil then turn the heat down to low. Cover the pot with a tight lid and leave to simmer for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the meat becomes tender.
Cook the vegetables
- Take out the garlic and peppercorns. Add the sweetcorn pieces and carrot chunks. Increase the heat to medium. Leave to boil with the lid on for about 10 minutes until the carrot softens.
- Taste the soup to decide if extra salt is needed. Garnish with chopped scallions or cilantro before dishing out to serve.
NOTES
NUTRITION
NUTRITION DISCLOSURE: Nutritional information on this website is provided as a courtesy to readers. It should be considered estimates. Please use your own brand nutritional values or your preferred nutrition calculator to double check against our estimates.
Is black pepper a must add in the recipe?
Whole black pepper or white pepper adds to the overall flavour of the dish, but it’s okay to leave it out if unavailable. A pinch of ground white pepper as an alternative would be a nice touch and more in line with the expected flavour.
I made this tonight and it was another one of your recipes that is an instant family favorite! Easy to prepare, satisfying to eat. Meat is succulent, veggies are crisp tender, and broth is tasty and nourishing. Our 8yo and 5yo loved eating the corn and ribs (and finished their bowls). My husband said “it looks just like the picture!”.
That makes me so happy to hear, Bailey! Love that it’s a new family favorite, and so glad even the little ones enjoyed it.
This is an easy to do soup that is really flavourful. I used spare ribs from the supermarket which had a balanced amount of fat to meat. Black peppercorns were used but I didn’t have a small muslin bag to keep them together but it didn’t matter as the family merely avoided biting on them. The fresh corn gave the soup that extra sweetness so that was pleasing. Try it if you haven’t done so already!
Very happy to know you and your family enjoyed this soup, Susan. And thank you for sharing your feedback!