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Salted Pork Bone Soup with Napa Cabbage and Glass Noodles
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4.84 from 6 votes

Chinese Salted Pork Bone Soup

This Salted Pork Bone Soup with glass noodles and napa cabbage is a Chinese homestyle comfort food recipe that we crave in the wintertime.
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time2 hours 20 minutes
Total Time2 hours 25 minutes
Course: Soup
Cuisine: Chinese
Servings: 6
Calories: 309kcal
Author: Judy

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil (or any neutral oil)
  • 2 pounds salted meaty pork neck bones (cut into 2-inch/5cm pieces)
  • 8 1/2 cups water
  • 3 slices ginger (about 2-inches/5cm long, ⅛-inch/0.3cm thick)
  • 1.75 ounces mung bean vermicelli (about 1 bundle; can substitute with thicker sweet potato glass noodles or about 1 cup cooked rice)
  • 1 pound napa cabbage (or greens of your choice)
  • salt to taste
  • ground white pepper to taste
  • 1 scallion (finely chopped)
  • 1/4 cup cilantro (coarsely chopped)
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • Heat your soup pot over high heat until it just starts to smoke. Reduce the heat to medium-high. Add 2 tablespoons of oil to evenly coat the bottom, then add the salted pork bones in a single layer. Brown the bones on all sides until light golden brown, taking care not to burn them, which will cause your soup to taste bitter.
  • While the meat is browning, boil the water in a separate pot. Once the meat is done, carefully pour the boiling water into the soup pot.
  • Increase the heat to high to quickly bring the soup to a boil. Add the ginger slices, cover, reduce the heat to medium low, and simmer for 1 ½ to 2 hours. (If using, add the soaked dried squid, conch, or dried scallops plus the liquid it soaked in along with the ginger.)
  • Soak the mung bean vermicelli or sweet potato glass noodles, submerging them in cool water so they soften as the soup cooks. They won’t need to cook for very long.
  • Wash the napa cabbage (or your leafy green of your choice). Shake off excess water, and cut the cabbage into bite-sized pieces.
  • After 1 ½ to 2 hours of cooking, add the napa cabbage. Increase the heat to high to bring the soup to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat to medium, and cook for another 5 minutes until the cabbage is tender (or if using a more tender leafy green like bok choy, cook for 1 to 2 minutes).
  • If you are using cooked rice or potato starch noodles instead of glass noodles, this is the time to add them.
  • Season with salt and white pepper to taste. Before serving, add the mung bean vermicelli, scallions, and cilantro. Bring the soup to a boil and serve.

Nutrition

Calories: 309kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 37g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Sodium: 88mg | Potassium: 660mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 305IU | Vitamin C: 21mg | Calcium: 72mg | Iron: 1mg