Chinese Watercress Soup with Pork Ribs was a staple at our house growing up. For me, picking wild watercress with my mom was my first memory of enjoying sai yeung choy tong (this is the Cantonese transliteration––it’s xī yáng cài tang 西洋菜汤 in Mandarin).
Picking Watercress in the Boonies
When I was a kid, we lived in a small upstate New York town where Asian markets and fresh watercress were nowhere to be found.
It was even tricky to find watercress in New York City’s Chinatown (where we reliably stocked up on vital pantry items and produce essentials periodically), which was already a two-hour drive away to begin with.
One summer Sunday, while taking a family drive, we made a roadside stop where there was a large steel pipe with a generous flow of clear, cold water flowing into a large steel tub. The tub was old, and excess water flowed out of it into a nearby brook.
It sounds like a health hazard today, but it was a welcome sight on that hot day, and the cold mountain spring water was still the best water I have ever tasted!
As we enjoyed our water, my mom scouted the neighboring area where the stream flowed and widened. Suddenly, she exclaimed, “wahh, sai yeung choy!” Is that wild watercress growing there? After a quick taste, she concluded it was, and went to work harvesting a few bunches. Needless to say, we harvested watercress from that same secret spot many times after!
Discovering Wild Watercress in Surprising Places!
During our travels over the years, we also discovered wild watercress along a trout stream in Sedona, AZ, as well as by the streams of the North Rim of the Grand Canyon.
Let me tell you, the sight of us cooking up curry ramen with fresh watercress has made many a passing hiker very envious!
Admittedly, wild watercress is quite a lucky find to stumble upon, so better to keep an eye on this tasty water-loving vegetable at your local market to enjoy this watercress soup.
A Classic Cantonese Soup
Raw watercress has a dark green color with round leaves, crunchy stems, and a refreshing peppery flavor. It’s used here in a classic Cantonese Soup recipe.
Like all leafy green vegetables, watercress will take on a dull green color after cooking in soup. In turn, the soup broth gets a soft green tint, and the flavor is quite delicate and delicious. You’ll be surprised at the flavor watercress adds to this recipe!
But I have to say, one of my favorite parts of this soup is eating the slow-cooked pork ribs dipped in soy sauce with some white rice—so good!
Onto my mom’s easy pork bone watercress soup recipe. We make it regularly to this day, and it remains a family favorite.
A Note on Ribs
You can use full-size ribs for this recipe, or have the butcher cut them into smaller 1 to 2 inch pieces.
Or, if you have a heavy Chinese cleaver, here’s a quick video demonstrating how to chop the ribs. Don’t try this with a regular chef’s knife. They weren’t meant to chop through bone, and you will probably chip your knife.
As you can see, the cleaver I’m using is very heavy and thick. It was designed for chopping through bones like this.
Position a damp dish towel underneath the cutting board to create an anti-slip surface. It also serves as padding for your countertop, to help absorb the shock of the knife’s motion.
Chinese Watercress Soup with Pork Ribs: Recipe Instructions
First, blanch the ribs. In a large pot, bring 6 cups of water to a boil. Add the pork ribs. Bring the water back up to a simmer, and after 2 minutes, turn off the heat. Drain and wash the ribs clean under running water. This step is important. It keeps your broth clear and clean tasting.
Put the blanched pork ribs, smashed ginger slices, and 8 cups of water in a clean pot. Bring the water to a boil, and immediately turn the heat down to low. Simmer for 90 minutes, covered.
Cantonese soups require low heat for a delicate favor and clear broth. Check on the soup periodically to make sure it is lightly simmering, but not boiling.
In the meantime, prepare the watercress by trimming off the large tough stems, and washing thoroughly in water 2-3 times.
After 90 minutes, stir in 1¼ teaspoons of salt, cover, and simmer for another 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes, give your soup a quick stir, and use a fine-mesh strainer to remove any floating particles. Next, use a ladle to skim off the excess grease that is floating at the top of the soup. Stir in the watercress, cover, and bring up to a simmer. Then lower the heat and cook the soup for 15-30 minutes.
I personally like to simmer the watercress soup for 30 minutes at this stage, so the soup takes on that distinctive watercress flavor. Though keep in mind that the watercress will not be as vibrant. Feel free to adjust the cooking time based on your preference.
Season to taste with salt and white pepper. Serve the soup with a hot bowl of rice and a small dish of light soy sauce as a dipping sauce for the pork. After cooking in the soup for so long, the ribs are melt-in-your-mouth tender and perfect with a little light soy sauce.
You can enjoy this classic Chinese Watercress Soup the way Cantonese families tend to serve it––as the first course of a meal, but it also makes a great, simple one-pot meal for a cold day.
Chinese Watercress Soup with Pork Ribs (Sai Yeung Choy Tong)
Ingredients
- 1½ pounds pork rib tips or ribs (cut into 2- to 3-inch pieces)
- 5 slices ginger (⅛-inch thick and smashed)
- 8 cups water
- 1 to 2 bunches of watercress (per your personal preference; each bunch is about 8 ounces)
- 1¼ teaspoon sea salt (or to taste)
- White pepper to taste
- Soy sauce to serve
Instructions
- First, blanch the ribs. In a large pot, bring 6 cups of water to a boil. Add the pork ribs. Bring the water back up to a simmer, and after 2 minutes, turn off the heat. Drain and wash the ribs clean under running water. This step is important––it keeps your broth clear and clean tasting.
- Put the blanched pork ribs, smashed ginger slices, and 8 cups of water in a clean pot. Bring the water to a boil, and immediately turn the heat down to low. Simmer for 90 minutes, covered. Cantonese soups require low heat for a delicate favor and clear broth. Check on the soup periodically to make sure it is lightly simmering, but not boiling.
- In the meantime, prepare the watercress by trimming off the large tough stems, and washing thoroughly in water 2-3 times.
- After 90 minutes, stir in 1¼ teaspoons of salt, cover, and simmer for another 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes, give your soup a quick stir, and use a fine-mesh strainer to remove any floating particles. Next, use a ladle to skim off the excess grease that is floating at the top of the soup. Stir in the watercress, cover, and bring up to a simmer. Then lower the heat and cook the soup for 15-30 minutes. I personally like to simmer the watercress soup for 30 minutes at this stage, so the soup takes on that distinctive watercress flavor. Though keep in mind that the watercress will not be as vibrant. Feel free to adjust the cooking time based on your preference.
- Season to taste with salt and white pepper. Serve the soup with a hot bowl of rice and a small dish of light soy sauce as a dipping sauce for the pork. After cooking in the soup for so long, the ribs are melt-in-your-mouth tender and perfect with a little soy sauce. You can enjoy this classic Chinese Watercress Soup the way Cantonese families tend to serve it––as the first course of a meal, but it also makes a great, simple one-pot meal for a cold day.
Can this be made in the InstantPot on a low pressure for the broth to coax the flavor from pork bones and ginger? and them add the ribs for 20 min, then watercress for an additional 10 minutes?? If so, can you give the instructions?
I like to cook Cantonese soups the traditional way. With that said, you can use an Instant Pot. If you use it a lot, you might have more knowledge than me on the subject of InstantPots! :-)
Hi there! I am looking forward to making this meal. I noticed that you mentioned this could be a first course to a meal. What other meal would you recommend to serve with this soup?
Thanks!
Hi Sierra, a simpler meal would be to mix white rice with this soup as a complete meal. I love to add cooked rice to the leftover soup next day. Serve it once it’s boiled. it’s the best! :-)
I love your home style Cantonese recipes like this watercress soup. I would take boiled pork out of the soup and sprinkle white pepper and soy sauce on it.
Hahaha…you are doing “the thing” with the boiled pork like we do :-)
I am getting so very excited to try your recipes, my daughter, who used to say that she did not like Cantonese food, but prefers Taiwanese, Japanese, Korean Thai food made my husband and me so sad because WE feel that Cantonese food is the BEST food in the ENTIRE WORLD and could be eaten DAILY for the rest of our lives because there are so many variations and delectable iterations. After watching the cooks in our Chinese ‘take-out’ restaurant cook, it gave me the confidence to ‘try’…I found Cantonese cooking to be much easier than I had expected. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, I am so very anxious to receive more and more of your delicious recipes!!!
That’s excellent, Donna, and thank you so much for your lovely comment.
I commented, but forgot to rate it! By the way, we served the rice in the soup which I’m not sure is our family tradition, or Hakka or Cantonese. Childhood memories!
I do that sometimes too, especially if the soup is 2 or 3 days old, and the flavor has intensified.
I tried this yesterday. Wow. My elderly parents, Hakka dad and Cantonese mom, absolutely loved it. They haven’t had this soup in many many years (watercress is not easy to get in Jamaica). Thanks again for your excellent recipes.
You are so welcome, Carolyn.
Hi there! This looks like a delicious recipe and would love to give it a go. I just want to clarify that the simmering time is 2 hours and 15 to 30 minutes depending on how long you prefer to simmer the watercress? I’m confused because the cook time indicated is 3 hours 30 minutes. Am I reading something wrong?! Look forward to your reply, thank you! :)
Hi Lavina, the cooking time also includes prep time. Please follow the recipe and you can’t go wrong :-)
Hi Judy,
Thanks for your reply! The Total time is 3 hours 40 minutes (which includes the Prep time), but the Cook time indicated is 3 hours 30 minutes. The way I’m reading this recipe, the simmering time is 2 hours and 15-30 minutes. Is this correct? It doesn’t look like the first and last step would take an additional hour though. I just want to make sure that the pork is melt in your mouth tender, and confirm how long it needs to simmer in order to get that tender. Looking forward to your reply, and can’t wait to try it out! Thank you! :)
Hi Lavina, you are the cook, you decide how tender you like the pork. Use the recipe as a guide to achieve the ideal soup that you like :-)
I love watercress soup. Thanks for the recipe.
You are very welcome, Tina.
Too much water to pork ratio…. I had to boil the broth down to concentrate for better flavour. Suggest 6 cups of water for that amount of pork instead.
Noted your suggestion, B. Thank you.
Hi, I made this recipe and it was great. I added one cup of extra water (because I made it for 4 servings and I thought it wasn’t enough). Should I simmer extra time to bring the flavor up? I did not grow up with dish but I did have it before. Any other tip please let me know. Thank you!!
Hi Bere, I’d increase protein with more water to ensure flavor :-)