Lotus root and pork bone soup, Hubei style (湖北莲藕猪骨汤)

Last Updated on September 6, 2020 by Simon Fan

A collection of soup recipes, especially the ones that do not require a lot of ingredients or labor, can come in handy when you look for something warming, nourishing, and comforting. This lotus root soup would be a great addition to your soup repertoire.

In Chinese cooking, lotus root is an incredibly versatile ingredient and appears in dishes throughout the year. When lightly pickled, it makes a refreshing salad perfect for the summer (click here for recipe). When added to simmering soup, it imparts comforting earthiness, something you crave on a cold winter’s night.

Lotus root soup made in Cantonese style would include a wide array of ingredients, such as pork ribs or ham, peanuts, dried jujubes, dried cuttlefish, and tangerine peels. The result is a rich broth with deep color and complex flavors.

My dish here, however, takes a more stripped-down approach based on the traditional recipe from Hubei (湖北) Province in China. The locals there like to use only pork bones or ribs as a base for the soup, without adding other strong-flavored ingredients, to let the subtle flavor of lotus root shine through. With local lakes such as Lake Hong (洪湖) provide some of the best lotus roots in the country, it’s easy to understand why people from that region consider lotus root soup their No. 1 soup.

It’s high up there on my list as well.

Lotus root and pork bone soup, Hubei-style (湖北莲藕猪骨汤)

Serves 2

Ingredients

1½ lb (680 g) pork bones with some meat on them (such as neck bones), cut by your butcher into small chunks
3 cups (720 ml) water
1-inch (2.5 cm) piece of ginger, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
10 oz (285 g) lotus roots, peeled and cut crosswise into ½-inch (1.3 cm) slices
Salt and freshly ground white pepper
1 scallion, thinly sliced

 Directions

1. Blanch the pork bones in boiling water briefly. Transfer them to a colander and rinse under cold water to remove any scum.
2. In a large pot, bring the 3 cups of water to a boil. Add the bones, ginger, and wine. Bring the liquid to a boil again, then lower the heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Cover and cook, removing surface scum from time to time, until the meat on the bones is very tender, about 1 hour.
3. Add the lotus root slices, and cook until they’re soft but retain some residual crunch, 10 to 15 minutes.
4. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Garnish with the scallion and serve right away.