Pork Ribs with Black-Eyed Beans Soup

Summer is here and with the high humidity level it is the time to drink soups with ingredients said to eliminate excess moisture from our body. Dried cowpeas (also called black-eyed beans) or 'eyebrow beans' in Cantonese are of such type. They are also rich in fibre, have a high level of potassium and a low level of sodium. All of these make it a healthy food.

Dried "eyebrow bean" / Meìh-dáu - 眉豆

Here is my pork ribs and black-eyed beans soup recipe. This is one of the most typical of Cantonese family-type soups. As for the majority of Chinese soups its preparation is very easy but you need to allow time for cooking it.

You can substitute ribs with lean pork (which I do quite often now).

Ingredients:

• 120gr black-eyed beans
• 300gr (1/2 catty) pork ribs
• 2 spring onions, chopped
• 4 slices of ginger
• 1 tsp salt

Steps:

1. Wash the black-eyed beans clean.
2. Wash the pork ribs clean and scald them in boiling water.
3. In a large pan, bring water to a boil. Put spring onions and 2 slices of ginger in to boil over high heat. Boil for 10 minutes. Remove spring onions and ginger.
4. Add the black-eyed beans, pork ribs, and 2 more ginger slices in.
5. Bring back to a boil over high heat.
6. Reduce the fire to medium heat and boil for 1 ½ hours.
7. Add salt to taste.

Bon appétit!