Cherry & Dennis Recipes
Night-blooming Cereus, Fig and Pork Shank Soup
霸王花無花果豬展湯
Recipe overview
Night-blooming Cereus, Fig and Pork Shank Soup. Follow the 12 steps in order, keep pieces even, and serve promptly or chill safely.
01
Ingredients
Main Ingredients
- 80 g dried night-blooming cereus
- 500 g pork shank
- 6 dried figs
- 250 g carrot
- 1 cob, about 300 g corn
- 20 g edible bitter-and-sweet apricot kernels
- 2 honey dates
- 3 slices ginger
- 2.5 litres; separate water for washing and blanching only soup water
- as needed () water
Finishing seasoning
- 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon Salt (Taste first; omit or reduce for children and older adults)
02
Tools
- lid
- small bowl
- measuring cup
- tablespoon
- teaspoon
- knife
- cutting board
- tongs
- food thermometer
- heat-resistant gloves
- teaspoon
- chopsticks
- kitchen paper
- oven mitts
- bowl
03
Steps
Step 1
Trim stems
Cut away hard dark stems and discard damaged cereus.
Step 2
Soak cereus
Soak in room-temperature water for 20 minutes until opened.
Step 3
Rinse pieces
Rinse every fold, rub out sand and discard soaking water.
Step 4
Prepare dried items
Rinse and halve figs to inspect; rinse kernels and honey dates.
Step 5
Cut vegetables
Cut carrot into 3 cm pieces and corn into 4–5 sections.
Step 6
Prepare pork
Trim pork shank into 2–3 pieces and remove blood clots or bone fragments.
Step 7
Cold-water blanch
Start pork and one ginger slice in cold water over medium-high heat.
Step 8
Skim and rinse
Boil 3 minutes, skim foam, rinse pork warm and discard blanching water.
Step 9
Boil soup water
Boil 2.5 litres fresh water; add pork, vegetables, figs, kernels, dates and ginger.
Step 10
Add cereus
Spread washed cereus into soup and press under with a ladle.
Step 11
Simmer
Leave lid slightly ajar and gently simmer 1 hour 30 minutes; add only boiling water if needed.
Step 12
Finish
Pork should be tender, fibres soft and broth clear-golden; taste, add salt gradually, rest and strain fibres when serving.
Common mistakes
- Remove the hard cereus stems and rinse every piece; blanch the pork and discard all soaking and blanching water, simmer gently and season only at the end.
Tips
Remove the hard cereus stems and rinse every piece; blanch the pork and discard all soaking and blanching water, simmer gently and season only at the end.
