Chinese Apple Pork Ribs Soup (Instant Pot, Slow Cooker, Stove-top)
Servings: 4 servings
Delicious, easy, and nourishing apple pork ribs soup recipe with Chinese herbs are easily made with Instant Pot pressure cooker, slow cooker, or on the stove.
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Equipment
Ingredients
- 500 gr pork ribs cut into individual rib
- 2 large apples I recommend red apples like Fuji or honey crisp
- 8 cloves garlic peeled and slightly smashed
- 2 dried squid/cuttlefish or 10 dried scallops
- water chicken broth for richer taste, enough to cover
- Salt to taste
Suggested Chinese herbs:
- 10 pieces red dates or use 2 large honey dates
- 25-30 pieces lotus seeds
- 1 Tbsp sweet apricot kernels
- ¼ cup goji berries
Garnishes:
- 1 stalk green onion finely chopped
- Small bunch of cilantro leaves for garnish
Seasoning:
- Salt to taste
Instructions
Clean the dried Chinese herbs:
- Rinse the red dates, lotus seeds, and goji berries briefly with water
Prepare the apples:
- New update: Remove the wax from the skin of the apples. Bring a small pot of water to a rolling boil. Add whole apples in there and roll them around for 15-20 seconds. We don't want to cook the apples. We just want to remove the wax from the apples. Remove from the water and wipe dry with clean kitchen towel. The skin will look dull now without the wax
- You can leave the peels on the apples or peel them off. Cut into quarters and discard the apple seeds. Soak them in water with 1 tsp of salt to prevent browning. Then discard water and rinse the apples with clean water to get rid of salt
Blanching the pork ribs:
- Place pork ribs in a large pot. Add in water until it covers the pork ribs. Bring to a boil and let it boil for about 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and discard the water. Rinse the pork ribs with cold water. Rinse the pot clean with water as well
Cooking with Instant Pot pressure cooker:
- Put the pork ribs and the rest of the ingredients, except for the apples (new update, not reflected in the video), inside the inner pot of instant pot, except for goji berries. Add water until it covers everything
- Cover the lid and turn steam release valve to “sealing”. Press pressure cooker button and make sure it’s on high and set timer to 40 minutes. If your ribs are in small pieces, you may only need 15 minutes. Wait 5 minutes and then release pressure. Add the apple pieces. Turn on the saute mode and cook for another 8-10 minutes or until the apple pieces are soft but doesn't fall apart. Turn off the saute mode and stir in the goji berries. You don't want to overcook the goji berries because they can turn sour
Cooking with slow cooker:
- Put the pork ribs and the rest of the ingredients, except for the apples (new update, not reflected in the video), inside the inner pot of the slow cooker. Add water until it covers everything. Cook on low for 6 hours. Add the apple pieces in the last 15-20 minutes of cooking. So the apples are soft but don't fall apart. Stir in the goji berries. You don't want to overcook the goji berries because they can turn sour
Cooking on the stove:
- Put the pork ribs and the rest of the ingredients, except for the apples (new update, not reflected in the video), inside a large pot
- Bring to a boil and then lower the heat and let it simmer for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours if the ribs are in big piece. If the ribs are in small pieces, you may only need 15-20 minutes or until the meat is tender. Add the apple pieces and cook for another 10 minutes or until they are soft but don't fall apart. Turn off the heat and stir in the goji berries. You don't want to overcook the goji berries because they can turn sour
Season to taste:
- Season the soup with salt to your taste