i'm-so-lazy pork ribs soup

I credit this recipe to my fiancé's mother, thanks auntie! It's so easy and yummy, I cook it when I need some comfort food but can't be bothered going through all the preparation. The even-lazier version is without the chinese salted vegetable (aka xian suan cai, aka 鹹酸菜). I make the even-lazier version more often because I am too lazy to go to the chinese shop to buy the salted vegies.

Cooked with the salted vegies & uploaded on 31-Mar-2010

I'm-so-lazy pork ribs soup (aka baikut kuah sayur asin)
by auntie

Ingredients:

• one bunch of chinese salted vegetable (they usually come immersed in liquid and packaged in plastic, I usually pick the chinese mustard greens variety)
• 500g of pork ribs (cut into individual rib pieces)
• 4 mini potatoes (peeled and cut into quarters)
• 12 cloves of garlic (peeled and crushed)
• 3 slices of ginger (crushed)
• Kikkoman soy sauce
• Chinese rice wine (aka shaoxing jiu, aka 紹興酒)
• Salt, white pepper

Method:

1. Rinse the salted vegie thoroughly with water. Cut and throw away the core. Boil salted vegie in water for 30 minutes(I find that if I don't do this, it'll be too salty for my taste).
2. Put in a medium pot the pork ribs, garlic and ginger. Add water until all of the contents are immersed. Bring to the boil, then add 1-2 tbsp of Kikkoman soy sauce and (optional) 1-2 tbsp chinese rice wice. Do invest in a bottle of Kikkoman soy sauce (or equivalent brewed fermented soy sauce), they have a more superior taste than the non-brewed soy sauce.
3. When the water is boiling, turn down the heat to very low simmer and cover pot with its lid. The idea is to slow-cook the ribs until it falls off the bone and melts in the mouth. I'd say give it at least 40-60 minutes.
4. Add the potatoes and as much (or as little) salted vegie as you'd like. Add the salted vegie in moderation as it will make the broth considerably saltier. Put the lid back on and simmer for another 30-40 minutes.
5. After 30 minutes, if the broth is still very thin, then turn up the heat to high and take off the lid. This will reduce the water and help concentrate the flavour. Taste the broth with a piece of the salted vegie, if they're not salty enough for you, add some salt and white pepper to taste.
6. Serve the soup with a saucer of soy sauce & cut chilli and a plate of steaming rice.

I used this little invention called SimmerMat for my slow cooking needs. It's manufactured by a company called Aris. I can still slow cook fine without it, but the SimmerMat gives me more control over the heat.