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This is the perfect Spring Soup! It’s light and refreshing. The soup is loaded with daikon and carrot and I feel it cuts down the oily fat flavor of pork bones and makes it easy to gulp down. This soup pairs really well with sushi rice. The sushi rice stays whole and doesn’t get too mushy in the soup. It sits there nicely in place within the broth (you can have to rice in a separate bowl if you prefer); a scoop of rice and a sip or two of soup is a perfect match for a spring or summer day! The pork bone, daikon carrot combination is a perfect trio to a light and balanced soup.
Ingredients:
A package of pork neck-bones (about 1.5 lbs)
2 medium sized daikon (peeled and cup into size of your liking- usually bite size)
1 large carrot (cut into 5 pieces)
3-5 slivers of ginger
12 cups of water
Salt to taste
Fish sauce to taste
1/2-1 tbsp Goji berries (optional- sweetens the flavor of the broth)
2 red dates (optional-also sweetens the broth)
*Notes: I sometimes add both goji berries and the dates for health benifits- I omitted it today because I was short on time and was in the mood for a simpler, cleaner smoother flavor).
Steps:
1- Put water, ginger and pork neck bones into soup pot and bring to a boil (You can choose to wash the bones and refill it with water to bring it to boil again if you wish; but I usually just skim the scum off). Cook on low, simmering for about 1 hour.
2– Add in the chopped up daikon and carrots, bring to a boil and continue to simmer for about 40 minutes (you can adjust this depending on how firm or soft you like your daikon, carrots and pork bone). I simmered it for about 1 hour today on low.
3-Season with salt and fish sauce. I usually start with a tbsp of each and add more in the dish before serving.
4- Enjoy as is or have it with steamed rice!
I grew up having pork bone soup all my life living at home. Sometimes my mom makes an Americanized version and add in potatoes and tomatoes; sometimes she pairs it with watercress or lotus root. Do you have any favorite variations in the making of pork bone soup?