Watercress Soup with Luo Han Guo

by wiffy on July 26, 2010

in Asian,Chinese,Chinese Soups,Greens,Meat,Pork,Recipes,Vegetables

Watercress Soup with Luo Han Guo Soup 西洋菜罗汉果汤

Whenever I have an irritated throat, or I feel a cough coming, I will make this soup remedy. It’s basically the watercress soup recipe, with an added luo han guo fruit (monk’s fruit). Chinese traditional medicine has always used luo han guo fruit to treat coughs, sore throat and combat phlegm. Luo han guo is also naturally sweet, so it gives a sweet taste to this soup. If you don’t like watercress that much, you may find the addition of luo han guo more pleasing to your palate.

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Of all the different types of food, I find Chinese soups the hardest to photograph, and this particular soup is extra difficult for me because it is so dark coloured. Hope you are not put off by the appearance of the soup in the photo, because the soup actually tastes sweet and soothing :)

Luo han guo fruit (Monk’s fruit)

Putting the smashed fruit in a disposable soup stock bag (see step 2)

Ingredients
(Serves 2)
- 250g pork ribs
- 1 luo han guo fruit (aka Siraitia grosvenorii, 罗汉果, 羅漢果, monk’s fruit)
- 200g watercress (西洋菜), ends trimmed, then roughly cut
- 10 pitted red dates
- 1 tbsp wolfberries, soaked in a small bowl of water till puffy
- 1300 ml water
- sea salt

Directions
1. Blanch pork ribs in boiling water for about 5 minutes, to remove the scum so that you have clear (particle-free) soup later.
2. Using the back of your knife, gently crack open the luo han guo fruit. If you have a soup stock bag, you can place the smashed fruit inside the bag (see photo above).
3. In a large soup pot, add water, red dates, blanched pork ribs, luo han guo fruit and watercress. Bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer (with lid partially closed) for about 40 minutes.
4. Five minutes before you turn off the flame, add the soaked wolfberries. Season with salt. Discard the luo han guo fruit pieces (if you are using the soup stock bag, just discard the whole bag). Serve the soup with steamed rice.