Last Updated on September 18, 2020 by Simon Fan
According to the tradition of the American South, eating a plate of black-eyed peas and greens (such as collard greens) in the New Year brings good luck, because the peas symbolize coins and the greens represent greenbacks.
This sounds a great idea to me, as good luck is always welcome. More important, they taste great when cooked together with pork, bacon, or sausages.
My recipe here is a riff on this American tradition, by using black soybeans and gai lan, aka Chinese broccoli, to make a hearty soup together with pork ribs and ham.
Black soybeans (hei dou 黑豆 in Mandarin) are a variety of soybeans. Aside from the black skin, they’re very similar to the yellow soybeans with the same flavor profile and texture. When cooked in soups or stews, they add umami taste and impart a wonderful aroma.
Black soybeans also play an esteemed role in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and are considered to have detoxifying and circulation-enhancing effects.
In the US, canned black soybeans are easily available and can be used the same way as other canned beans, such as black turtle beans. However, for this recipe, you need dried ones, which can be found at most Asian grocery stores or online.
Feel free to customize the recipe below based on what’s available to you. For example, you can use bok choy, collard greens, or kale to replace gai lan; or you can use bacon instead of ham. Regular yellow soybeans are a perfect substitute if you cannot find the black variety.
No matter which version you end up with, I’m sure you’ll have a tasty soup that makes you happy (and hopefully brings you good luck too).
Black soybean soup with pork ribs, ham, and gai lan
Serves 2
Ingredients
1 lb (450 g) pork ribs, cut across the bone by your butcher into 1-inch (2.5 cm) slabs
1 cup (170 g) dried black soybeans, soaked in cold water for 4 to 6 hours
3 cups (720 ml) water (soybean soaking water plus additional water as needed)
2 oz (85 g) Chinese ham or other dry-cured ham (such as prosciutto, jamón, or country ham), sliced
1-inch (2.5 cm) piece of ginger, thinly sliced
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
Salt and freshly ground white pepper
4 oz (115 g) gai lan or any leafy greens of your choice
Directions
- Cut the ribs through the meat between every rib bone, creating small pieces. Blanch them in boiling water for 2 minutes. Drain in a colander and rinse under cold water to remove any scum.
- In a large pot, bring the 3 cups of water to a boil. Add the soybeans, pork ribs, ham, ginger, bay leaves, and wine. Bring to a boil again, then reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Cover and cook, skimming off surface scum from time to time, until the soybeans are soft and the ribs are tender, about 1 hour.
- Season the soup with salt and pepper. Add the gai lan and cook until crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Serve right away.
