This lotus root soup features tender pork ribs, mushrooms and peanuts braised together to create a fragrant soup that is healing and nutritious. No matter whether you’re recovering from a cold or simply need something comforting, this soup is perfect for you. {Gluten-Free}
Lotus root and pork rib soup is one of the most popular Chinese medicinal soups. I shared this recipe a long time ago, because it’s a dish my mom frequently made in winter when I was growing up. Recently I started to make it again for my postpartum recovery. I love how easy it is to put the ingredients together and just let it simmer. The finished soup is so satisfying and filling that sometimes I enjoy it as a one-pot meal.
Lotus root soup ingredients
Health benefits of lotus root
Lotus root is the long stem of the lotus plant that stretches deep into the mud. It is edible and frequently used in traditional Chinese medicine. The root is rich in carbohydrate and fiber, vitamin C and iron, and is full of antioxidants. It’s good for boosting circulation and immunity, enhancing energy levels, and improving digestion.
Lotus root is a “cold” ingredient in TCM, but it’s commonly used in Chinese postpartum confinement to help new moms recovering from childbirth due to its health benefits.
Pork ribs
Pork ribs are paired with lotus root to add a ton of flavor to the soup. If you happen to live close to a Chinese grocery store, you can purchase the short cut pork ribs (肋骨条). These are ribs that are cut crosswise across the slab into 2” (5 cm) long strips. You can further cut them along the bones into smaller pieces, so it takes a shorter time to cook through, and they release more flavor to the soup.
If you purchase a slab of pork ribs from a grocery store, you can ask the butcher to cut the slab into two to three strips using their saw.
If you can only find the longer ribs, that is totally fine too. You might need to cook the soup a bit longer so the pork turns tender.
Ingredients and mise en place
When you’re ready to cook, you should have:
- Sliced lotus root
- Rehydrated shiitake mushrooms
- Sliced pork ribs
- Peanuts
- Ginger
- Salt
- Green onion (optional, for garnish)
The shiitake mushrooms and peanuts are often added to the soup to further add nutritional value. But you can still get a delicious pot of soup if you skip either or both of the ingredients.
TIP
Lotus root will oxidize once it’s cut and turn to a darker color. That’s why I prefer to cut the lotus root after I start the soup and add it directly to the pot once cut. If you cut the lotus root in advance, submerge the pieces in cold water to keep them from oxidizing.
How to cook lotus root soup with pork ribs
Cooking lotus root soup is super easy and requires very little hands-on time.
- Boil the ribs
- Skim and discard the foam from the top (for a clear soup)
- Add the rest of the ingredients
- Cook until the pork turns tender
TIP
In Chinese cooking, it’s more common to use a low boil instead of a simmer when making soup. In this recipe, it’s nice get a bit of boiling action to emulsify some of the pork fat with the soup, to create a milkier colored soup that is richer in taste. On the other hand, you can also simply simmer it to make a clear soup and skim off the fat later, for a lower calorie option.
Can I cook lotus root soup in an Instant Pot?
Yes you can! It is very easy and fast to use an Instant Pot to make this recipe.
To use an Instant Pot, firstly you need to boil the pork ribs and skim off the brown bits (See the recipe below, step 2). Instead of 10 cups of water for stovetop method, you should only use 6 to 7 cups of water. Once the brown foam is gone, add the rest of the ingredients to the Instant Pot. Set timer to cook on high pressure for 25 minutes. Then use natural release, or let release naturally for 20 minutes before fast releasing.
A few important things to note:
- Make sure you only use 6 to 7 cups water. Because the liquid does not evaporate in the Instant Pot, using the original water amount will result in a very bland soup.
- Do not skip the step to skim the brown foam. It is very important step to get a clear soup (I was lazy once and skipped the step. The result was not good!).
- Make sure to keep the lotus root in large bite-size pieces to prevent from over cooking.
- You might want to skim the fat off the top of the soup once it’s done cooking. Unlike the stovetop method where you can boil the soup to let some of the fat emulsify into the liquid, the Instant Pot method will make a clear soup. As a result, you will have an oil layer floating on top of the soup (fat rendered from the pork ribs).
I love to use an Instant Pot for this recipe, because it’s faster and requires less active cooking time.
How to serve lotus root soup
You can serve lotus root soup with other main and side dishes for a complete meal. Although I also enjoy serving it by itself for a light meal.
To enjoy the pork ribs from the soup, you can simply sprinkle some salt onto them as you eat. I also included my favorite dipping sauce below, which only uses four ingredients.
Another way to enjoy the pork ribs is – sprinkle some salt over them and coat themwith a thin layer of cornstarch. Then pan fry them with some oil. They will be crispy on the outside and tender inside, similar to fried ribs!
I hope you enjoy this delicious soup as much as I do!
Other delicious soup recipes
- Napa Cabbage Tofu Soup (白菜豆腐汤)
- Chinese Corn Soup with Chicken (鸡蛋玉米羹)
- Winter Melon Soup with Meatballs (冬瓜丸子汤)
- Bok Choy Soup
- Watercress Wonton Soup
- Silkie Chicken Soup (乌鸡汤)
Lotus Root Soup With Pork Ribs (排骨莲藕汤)
Ingredients
For the soup
- 6 shiitake mushrooms , rehydrated (or 2 pieces dried kelp) (*Footnote 1)
- 1 lb (450 g) pork spare ribs strips , cut into single or double ribs along the bone (*Footnote 2)
- 1 lb (450 g) lotus root
- 1/4 cup raw peanuts
- 1 thumb ginger , sliced
- 1/4 teaspoon salt (or to taste) (*Footnote 3)
- 1 green onion , sliced (for garnish)
For the dipping sauce (optional)
- 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon Chinkiang vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
Instructions
- Place the shiitake mushrooms in a medium-sized bowl and pour boiling water on top to cover by at least 1” (2.5 cm). Press them down to submerge into the water. Rehydrate for 20 minutes, until they turn soft throughout. Once done, drain the mushrooms and set aside.
- Add pork spareribs and 10 cups of water into a large pot. Bring to a boil over high heat. Skim the foam from the surface until the soup is clear, 10 minutes or so.
- While boiling the ribs, prepare the lotus root. Wash lotus root carefully. Peel the root and remove tough ends. Cut into 2 equal parts lengthwise, then chop into irregular bite size pieces.
- Place lotus root into the pot along with the ribs. Add the soaked mushrooms, peanuts, ginger, and the 1/4 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil over high heat. Cover, turn to medium heat, and low boil for 1.5 to 2 hours, until the ribs almost fall off the bones and the lotus root becomes very tender. Add more salt to taste, if needed. And garnish with the green onions.
- You can enjoy the pork ribs by mixing and serving with the dipping sauce. You can also eat the ribs by simply sprinkling some salt over them.
Notes
- Both shiitake mushroom and kelp add savory flavor and nutritional value to the soup. But you can also skip them and the soup will still be very delicious.
- Like I mentioned in the blog post, it’s best to buy shorter ribs from the Chinese grocery store (slabs of ribs cut across the bones). Depending on the length of the ribs, you can cut them to single ribs (for ribs longer than 2” / 5 cm), or double ribs (for ribs shorter than 2” / 5 cm). If you use a regular slab of ribs, cut them to single ribs.
- This is a very lightly seasoned soup. Because the soup will be so flavorful from the ingredients, it tastes great to me without a lot of salt. But feel free to add more salt if you prefer.
I love all soups and could eat them all day every day. This looks like a delicious soup and seems like I could find the ingredients here. Can’t wait to give it a try.
This soup looks great. I never know what to do with spare ribs and I see lotus roots in Chinatown markets but never knew what to do with it. I love all the lotus root recipes too. Pinning, and subscribed to your youtube channel (the videos are great)
Glad you hear you found my video helpful 🙂 Spareribs is really delicious if you cook them long enough until the meat almost falls from the bone. I like to cook it in the soup or stew.
Thanks so much for sharing!
This looks delicious, Maggie! I’d love to have a lotus root cooking lesson from you – you’ve got it down!!
I’d never heard of lotus root before I ‘met’ you, Maggie … but now if I ever see it on a menu I’ll definitely try it!
I love how you’ve combined it with pork in this post. And that dipping sauce definitely sounds like one to remember. It’s so simple!
I love lotus root, but I’ve never cooked with it before. That’s going to have to change – this dish looks and sounds absolutely delicious!
I’ve always wanted to cook lotus root but didn’t know how to prepare it! Thanks for the wonderful video. You are amazing Maggie!! 🙂
When my daughter-in-law had her first baby I was there and so was her birth mother from Taiwan. She made this soup for her!! I hadn’t thought of it in years. It was really good and very comforting.
Yep, Chinese moms really likes to make this type of soup for the daughter 🙂 Soup is considered to be comforting, healthy and high in nutrition. Also because people tend to avoid cold dishes (equals hot food / drink is good for healthy). Cold food and drinks are forbidden things to women who just give birth. When I showed American style baby shower food pics to my mom, she was so surprised 🙂
My son and daughter-in-law live in Atlanta. Ming’s mother doesn’t speak English but we spent 2 weeks together and had no trouble communicating through charades. 🙂
I love lotus root – and often order it when travelling in Asia. It’s so hard to find here in Australia though.. but if I can get my hands on some this will be the first dish I make Maggie!
This soup reminds me of mom’s cooking. My mom made this soup occasionally. Since I have moved to the State, I haven’t made Chinese soup at all. It was hard to make soup when I was living by myself. When I got married, Bryan isn’t a fan of brothy soup. And I have no idea how to make Chinese soup either. After seeing your recipe, I really want to make this. Bring back some of the flavors from home. 🙂
I totally understand the feeling! I probably won’t cook this dish if I’m living alone. And I won’t feel like cooking it unless the rest of the family can enjoy it too. I think it’s the type of family dish that supposed to be shared.
Glad to hear this recipe is helpful. Hope the flavor is as nice as the one your mom used to make 🙂
Soups are my favorite! Love this lotus root soup. I used to help my mom make this for our family when we were growing up almost every week. After I got married I think I”ve only made it a handful of times which needs to change since you’ve totally got me craving some. Yours looks so delicious and perfect 🙂
I love lotus root so much! I don’t know many ways to cook with it so this is a FAB one to add to my stash!! 🙂
Hi! I want to make this recipe sometime for my cooking class, except a few classmates can’t have pork. Would beef ribs be a proper alternative?
I think it would work but beef ribs are tougher and requires a much longer cooking time.
I think using bone-in chicken pieces (thighs or legs) can be a better alternatives.
Hi! Would you be able to make this in an Instant pot? If so, how would you adjust the times?
I’m also interested to know!
You can definitely make this one in an Intant Pot. I would only use 8 cups of water (or 7 cups for a richer soup), because the water won’t evaporate during the cooking. The cooking time should be 30 minutes on high pressure.
Could this soup be adapted to a pressure cooked version in an instant pot, do you think?
I’m pressure sure you can! I would use 8 cups of water instead of 10 cups, since the water won’t evaporate during the cooking. Pressure cooking on high for 30 minutes should be plenty.