Chinese Watercress Soup with Honey Dates

Method7 steps · about 3 hr 10 min

1. 1

   Step 1: Prepare the watercress (2) before blanching the bones: separate leaves from stalks, discard damaged leaves and remove tiny roots. Wash in a basin of water with the 1 tsp washing salt without soaking, then rinse thoroughly and drain. Keep edible leaves and stalks separate, discarding all wash water. Set out the dates and soup kernels, following the kernel retailer’s preparation directions without tasting them raw. Keep raw bones refrigerated until the water is ready; do not wash raw meat or poultry.

   Uses 2 bundles watercress · 1 tsp washing salt, rinsed away · Water, as needed for vegetable washing and fresh rinsing

2. 2

   Step 2: Bring enough blanching water to a boil to submerge the bones. Add the pork bones and boil for 10 minutes. Have the separate 2.5 litres of soup water heating in a large pot so the blanched bones can move directly into it.

   Blanch pork bones · 10 minUses 600 g pork soup bones · Water, enough to submerge the bones for blanching

3. 3

   Step 3: Add the two chicken carcasses to the blanching pork bones and boiling water. Boil for a further 3 minutes, then proceed directly to draining and the hot soup pot.

   Blanch chicken carcasses · 3 minUses All pork bones and discarded-blanch water from step 2 · 2 chicken carcasses

4. 4

   Step 4: Lift and drain the bones, discard the blanching water and remove any remaining clots with a clean utensil. Transfer the hot bones immediately to the hot soup pot in the next step; do not cool or store the partially cooked bones.

   Uses All hot bones from step 3, with blanching water to be discarded

5. 5

   Step 5: Add all the hot blanched bones and washed watercress stalks to the 2.5 litres of boiling soup water. Return to a boil, then boil steadily over medium-high heat for 1 hour. Add only boiling water if needed to maintain the liquid, without letting the pot boil dry.

   Boil bones with watercress stalks · 60 minUses All hot drained pork bones and chicken carcasses from step 4 · All washed stalks from step 1, with leaves reserved and cleaning water discarded · 2.5 litres soup water · Extra boiling water, only as needed during the soup cooking

6. 6

   Step 6: Remove and discard all fibrous watercress stalks, retaining the broth and bones. Add the prepared leaves, both measured apricot-kernel supplies and honey dates (2–3). Keep the kernels submerged and boil steadily over medium heat for another 1 hour; do not shorten this cooking stage.

   Boil leaves and apricot kernels · 60 minUses All bones, broth and extracted stalks from step 5 · All washed leaves from step 1, with stalks already used and cleaning water discarded · ½ tbsp sweet apricot kernels (Nan Xing) · ½ tbsp bitter apricot kernels (Bei Xing) · 2–3 honey dates

7. 7

   Step 7: Rinse the red dates (6–8) and goji berries just before use without soaking the goji berries, then add them to the soup. Boil for 15 more minutes. Check that the chicken meat on the carcasses is fully cooked at 74°C/165°F and the pork is fully cooked and tender; continue cooking if needed. Remove bones and date pits before eating, and ladle the hot soup and edible ingredients into eight portions.

   Finish soup with red dates and goji berries · 15 minUses All retained soup ingredients and broth from step 6, with fibrous stalks discarded · 6–8 red dates · 1 tbsp dried goji berries · Fresh water, as needed to rinse dates and goji berries just before use