“Pork spare ribs are cut from the lower section of the pig’s rib cage, from the belly area to the breastbone (sternum). They are flatter, wider, and more marbled than baby back ribs, so they are richer and juicier but need longer, slower cooking (braising, smoking, or slow roasting) to become tender. Raw spare ribs provide protein, supplying essential amino acids like lysine and threonine for muscle maintenance and repair. They are an excellent source of Thiamin (Vitamin B1), Vitamin B6, and Niacin (Vitamin B3), which help convert food into energy and support nervous system function, and are rich in Selenium, Zinc, and Phosphorus for immune health, antioxidant defense, and bone strength. Contain no carbohydrates or sugars, making them suitable for low-carb or ketogenic diets, but because they are cut near the belly, they are higher in fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol than leaner cuts, so are best enjoyed in moderation as part of a balanced diet.”
Today, I am making pork ribs soup to go with koay teow and it’s a bit different to the way grandma cook. She would add dried red dates, goji, dried cuttlefish and many other ingredients. I opted for a few ingredients just for a change and to experiment the flavour.
My koay teow soup is clear, colourful, flavourful, delicious and healthy. Let’s cook!!!
Ingredients
Pork spare ribs soup
1 strip of pork ribs, about 650 g
1 cuttlefish
1 L chicken stock
1.5 L water
4 slices ginger
4 garlic cloves, skin remove and smash lightly
4 Tsp chicken stock powder
1 tsp fish sauce
water to blanch
salt
pepper
Seafood, koay teow and vegetables
200 g koay teow, peel into strips
8 prawns, peeled and deveined
8 snow peas, washed, removed ends and pull off the tough side strings
2 basa fish fillets, sliced into bite-sized pieces
2 carrots, cut into matchsticks
1 1/2 bunches of choy sum, washed, removed stems and cut into bite-sized
water
salt
oil
Method
Pork spare ribs soup
Cut the pork ribs into short lengths, soak it in cold water for an hour. Then rinse thoroughly, drain, and set aside. Fill a large pot with water and bring it to a boil. Once the water boils, add the pork ribs, and bring the water back to a boil.
Allow it to blanch for about 5-7 minutes. Wipe dried cuttlefish with a damp paper towel. Use thongs to remove pork ribs and rinse in cold water again. Discard water in pot and add ginger, garlic, cuttlefish, and pork ribs back. Then fill with 1 L chicken stock, chicken powder and 1 .5 little of water.
Bring to a boil on high heat for about 10 minutes and skim foam that appears. Skimming prevents the solids from breaking up and preventing a clear stock. Cover the pot and simmer for about 2-2.5 hours on low heat or until the pork spare ribs are tender and the broth is rich. Add fish sauce, a pinch of salt and pepper to taste.
Seafood, koay teow and vegetables
Meantime, bring a separate pot of water to a boil. Add a pinch of salt and a small drop of cooking oil into boiling water to keep the choy sum vibrant green and glossy. Add the stems of choy sum and carrots in for 30 seconds to 1 minute first because they take longer to soften than the delicate leaves.
Next add the upper stems with leaves and leaves for the final 20 to 30 seconds so they turn bright green without getting soggy. In total blanching carrots and choy sum for for crisp-tender are about 1–2 minutes. Remove choy sum and carrots immediately and run them under cold water (or plunge into an ice bath) to stop the cooking process if you aren’t serving them hot right away.
Using the same pot, add water and a pinch of salt into the boiling water, bring it to rolling boil. Drop the snow peas into the boiling water for 30 to 60 seconds (or 1 to 2 minutes for larger/freezing batches) until they turn a bright, vibrant green. Immediately transfer them into a bowl of ice water for about 1 to 2 minutes to stop the cooking process, then drain and pat dry. Set aside.
Using the same pot, add water and bring to a boil. Do a quick-blanch the koay teow noodles for just 25 seconds to loosen them up and remove excess starch. Drain koay teow immediately. Then peel apart koay teow into individual strands. Put some koay teow into bowls set aside.
Back to pork spare ribs soup-flash-cook the seafood
After 2.5 hours low heat, the pork spare ribs are tender and the broth is rich. Turn the pork spare ribs soup heat up to a medium boil. Drop the sliced basa fish and prawns directly into the simmering broth. Cook for 2–3 minutes until the prawns turn pink and the fish is opaque. Remove them with a slotted spoon and set aside so they don’t overcook.
Now add carrots, choy sum, snow peas back into the pork spare ribs soup. Cook for 1–2 minutes to warmed up again. Remove and place 4 prawns, 4 snow peas, some carrot matchsticks, and choy sum on each bowl. Using a slotted spoon, spoon out some of the tender pork ribs into the prepared bowls. Then ladle the piping hot, flavourful pork spare ribs soup completely over the noodles, fish, prawns and vegetables. Taste for seasoning. Serve immediately with a glass of Sauvignon Blanc. Enjoy!!!
Note: My mother said to cover and let it simmer for at least 4 hours. The longer the better. Reheating it the next day will make it even more flavourful. Next time I will add dried dates and goji. Some of my friends said they would add peanuts and carrots to sweetened it. One of my friends told me her mother in-law add seaweed and red adjuzi beans. You can use lean pork ribs or neck. You can add the fried garlic and garlic oil for that authentic aroma.
You can make the garlic oil: 40 g chopped garlic and 1/8 c oil. Put oil and chopped garlic in a deep bowl with a saucer and microwaves it 30 seconds for 3-4 times, stir in between until garlic is golden crispy. Don’t burn it and be careful, oil will splutter, I use a plate to cover the bowl.
https://helenscchin.com/2019/11/03/helen-style-pork-and-seafood-koay-teow-soup/
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