This easy Cantonese lotus root peanut with pork ribs soup is nutritious and a staple soup in Chinese kitchen. The soup can be made on the stove, rice cooker, or pressure cooker.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the pork ribs and blanch for about 5 minutes. Discard the water and rinse the pork ribs
If you are not cooking with pressure cooker, soak the peanuts in hot water for at least 30 minutes to soften. If there are still skin on the peanuts, rub to remove the skin as they tend to make your soup taste bitter
Prepare the lotus root:
I use the already-poached lotus root slices. If you are using fresh lotus root, peel off the skin and slice into about 1/4-inch thickness. Soak them in water with small pinch of salt to avoid oxidation
Blanch the lotus root with 1/2 tsp of baking soda for 2 minutes to get rid of impurities and then discard water and rinse the lotus root to get rid of the baking soda
If cooking with Instant Pot pressure cooker:
Put the blanched pork ribs and the rest of the ingredients, except for goji berries, inside the inner pot of the instant pot. Pour water just enough to cover everything
Close the lid and turn the steam release valve to "sealing" and set the timer to 10 minutes
When it's done cooking, do natural release. Unlock the lid once the safety valve has collapse. Stir in the goji berries. The residual heat will soften the goji berries as you stir. Have a taste and adjust seasoning to your taste
If cooking with rice cooker:
Put the blanched pork ribs and the rest of the ingredients, except for goji berries, inside the inner pot of the rice cooker. Pour water just enough to cover everything. If you have a rice-cooker with multi function, you can use the porridge function. If there's no function, you may need 2 cycles of cooking. The ribs should be tender and the peanuts should be soft. Stir in the goji berries. The residual heat will soften the goji berries as you stir. Season to your taste
If cooking on the stove:
Put the blanched pork ribs and the rest of the ingredients, except for goji berries, inside a heavy-bottom pot. Pour water just enough to cover everything
Bring the water to a boil an then lower the heat to let it simmer. Cover and let it simmer for the next 45 minutes to 1 hour or until the pork ribs are tender and the peanuts are soft. Stir in the goji berries. The residual heat will soften the goji berries as you stir. Season to taste