Black bean, walnut and pork rib soup with garlic choy sum
Toasted black beans give this soup a deep colour and nutty aroma; with garlic choy sum it makes a balanced soup-and-veg dinner.
- 1 hr 45 min
- Serves 3
- Simmer
- Easy
Why it suits you: A Balanced constitution simply follows the season. Start of Winter belongs to the kidneys, and black beans and walnuts are classic kidney foods; with pork rib soup and greens you get soup, protein and vegetables, warming but not drying.
Method
Prep 15 min · Cook 90 min- 1No soaking needed: dry-toast the black beans in a wok over medium heat for 5–8 minutes until the skins split and smell toasty, then rinse and drain.
- 2Put the ribs in a pan of cold water, bring to the boil and blanch for 3 minutes, then drain and rinse.
- 3Bring the water to the boil, add the black beans, walnuts, ribs, dates and ginger, boil hard for 15 minutes, then simmer gently for 1 hour 15 minutes. Salt just before serving.
- 4While the soup simmers, blanch the choy sum for 1 minute and drain; fry the garlic in the oil until fragrant, toss the choy sum through with a pinch of salt and serve with rice and the soup.
Cautions
- If you are allergic to walnuts or other tree nuts, leave them out and add Chinese yam instead.
Chef's tips
- Toasting the beans until they crack means no soaking, no beany smell and a darker soup.
- Put everything in a slow cooker on low in the morning for 6 hours and the soup is ready after work.
The TCM view
Black beans are sweet and neutral, enter the kidneys, nourish yin and support digestion and fluid balance; walnuts are sweet and warm, support the kidneys, warm the lungs and keep you regular; pork ribs are sweet, salty and neutral and moisten dryness; candied dates soothe the lungs. A gentle kidney tonic that warms without drying — just right for 'warm the kidneys, store yang'.
