Salted Mustard Greens, Peppercorn & Pork Tripe Soup

Why people make this soup

Some people develop what traditional Chinese food therapy calls a “cold stomach” — often from eating too many cold or raw foods over time. The telltale signs are a bland taste in the mouth, a tendency to produce clear saliva, nausea, poor appetite, and a stomach that feels ice-cold and is relieved by warmth. Nourilo loves this hearty soup because it works on several levels at once: salted mustard greens add a pleasant tang while traditionally warming the middle, white peppercorns bring gentle heat that settles the stomach, and slow-cooked pork tripe (the pig’s stomach) is valued in Chinese food therapy for nourishing the organ it resembles.

Method

1. Soak and rinse the salted mustard greens to remove excess salt; cut into pieces.
2. Clean the pork tripe: turn it inside out, rub vigorously with coarse salt and cornstarch (potato starch also works), rinse, and repeat several times until the odour is gone. Soak in fresh water for about half a day, then blanch in boiling water and cut into pieces.
3. Place all ingredients in a pot with 2.4 L of water.
4. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a steady simmer for about 2 hours until reduced to 1.2 L.
5. Serve the soup together with the tripe pieces and mustard greens — the tripe softens beautifully and both soup and solids are eaten.

Nourilo’s Tips

The most important step is cleaning the pork tripe properly — repeated scrubbing with salt and cornstarch is the secret to eliminating any unpleasant smell. Once slow-cooked, the tripe becomes wonderfully tender and carries all the warming flavours of the soup. Remember: this soup is specifically for cold-type stomach conditions. Anyone with a yin-deficient, heat-prone constitution should not drink it. If in doubt about your constitution, consult a Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioner or your doctor.