Winter in the northeast is especially harsh so my body craves comfort food. One healthy and simple dish is taro and ribs soup or canh khoai sườn. Marinated pork ribs and taro are boiled in water and chicken stock until they are tender and juicy. The result is a deep yet healthy soup that is simply eaten with a side of rice.

Difficulty: Easy / Serving: 4 / Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients

1.5 lb. of pork ribs cut in 2 inch segment length wise

1.5 lb. of taro cut into 1 inch cube

1/4 teaspoon of ground black pepper

1 tablespoon + 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt

1 teaspoon of chicken bouillon powder

1/2 teaspoon of minced garlic

1 tablespoon of diced onion

1/2 teaspoon of fish sauce

3 rock sugar

2 cups of low sodium chicken broth

Cilantro (garnish)

Green onion (garnish)

Directions

Start by cleaning the ribs. Boil a small pot of water with 1 tablespoon of salt. Once the water comes to a boil, blanch the ribs so that the outside are cooked. Remove from the pot and rinse with water. Discard the liquid.

Marinate the ribs with 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of chicken bouillon powder, 1/4 teaspoon of ground black pepper, 1 tablespoon of diced onion and 1/2 teaspoon of minced garlic.

Bring 6 cups of water to a boil in another pot. Once the water boils, add the marinated ribs and 2 cups of chicken broth to the water. Allow the ribs to cook for 25 minutes on a low boil.

After 25 minutes, add the taro, 3 rock sugar and 1/2 teaspoon of fish sauce and let them cook for another 15-20 minutes until the taro is softened. You should be able to poke through the taro easily with a fork when it is fully cooked.

Serve this soup with a side of rice.

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Authors: Susan Tran and Chau Hoang