Peppery pork stomach soup with rice noodles
A Cantonese winter classic — pork stomach simmered with crushed white peppercorns and bean curd skin into a fragrant, warming broth, ladled over rice noodles.
- 1 hr 50 min
- Serves 2
- Simmer
- Medium
Why it suits you: Phlegm-damp types often feel a cold, bloated stomach, phlegm and heaviness in winter. White pepper warms the middle, dispels cold and moves phlegm down, pork stomach strengthens the spleen and stomach, and bean curd skin keeps it light. The broth is peppery and warming without being greasy — a lunch that leaves you feeling lighter.
Method
Prep 20 min · Cook 90 min- 1Turn the stomach inside out and scrub it well with salt and cornflour, rinsing off the slime; repeat twice and trim off excess fat.
- 2Put the stomach and ginger in cold water, bring to the boil and blanch for 5 minutes. Rinse and cut into strips.
- 3Lightly crush the peppercorns with the back of a knife and put them in a muslin bag. Simmer with the stomach, ginger and water: bring to the boil, then cook over low heat for 1 hour.
- 4Soak the bean curd stick until soft, cut into lengths and add to the soup. Simmer 20 minutes more until the stomach is tender, then season with salt.
- 5Cook the rice noodles separately and put them in bowls. Ladle over the hot soup and stomach, scatter with coriander and serve.
Cautions
- Pepper is hot — use less with a sore throat, dry mouth or strong damp heat.
Chef's tips
- Two rounds of scrubbing with cornflour and salt removes any odour; a pressure cooker cuts the simmering to 30 minutes.
The TCM view
White pepper is pungent and hot, warming the middle, dispelling cold and clearing phlegm; pork stomach is sweet and warm, supporting the body and strengthening the spleen and stomach; bean curd skin is sweet and neutral, clearing the lungs and resolving phlegm; ginger is pungent and warm; rice noodles are sweet and neutral. Warming and damp-resolving overall, it suits phlegm-damp types at the Winter Solstice.
