Pork Bone Soup with Carrots and Red Dates

Purpose:

To improve spleen and benefit stomach.  To stimulate fluids and lubricate dryness.  To nourish blood and strengthen the body.  This soup can be used as food therapy for patients of leukemia with symptoms of low fever, night sweat, dizziness and blurry eyes, dry mouth and sore throat, tiredness and irritability.     

Material:

Pork bones for soup （煲汤骨）                    600 g
Carrots （胡萝卜）                                        500 g 
Dried red dates （红枣）                                10 
Salt                                                              some
          

Note:

Pork bones for soups are available from Chinese grocery stores.  These are bones (neck bones, shoulder bones, or spinal cords) with plenty of meat still attached.  You can ask the butcher to cut them into about 2 to 3 inches pieces if it is not already done.  Check to see if other grocery stores have this kind of pork bones, as I am not quite aware of them.  The bones need to be boiled first in order to remove white foam and scum.  Dried red dates are quite common in Chinese cooking and are available in almost all Chinese grocery stores.

Procedure:

a.   Rinse to clean dried red dates. Skin the carrots and cut to about 1 inch pieces.

b.   Boil about 8 cups of water.  Add pork bones and boil for about 5 minutes.  Remove and rinse clean the bones.  Pour away the water.  Boil another 9-10 cups of water with high heat.  Add bones, carrots, and dates.  

c.   Bring to boil and then reduce to low heat and let simmer for about 3 hours. 

d.   Add some salt to taste.  Ready to serve. 

        

Comment:

This is a tasty pork bone soup with an amber color and a lightly sweet taste.  The meat is ready to fall off the bones after cooking.  Carrots are very soft and almost melting in the mouth.  You can eat the soup right after cooking, or keep it in the refrigerator and eat later.  If you need to reduce fat intake, remember to leave the soup in the refrigerator for a few hours, and then take it out and see if there is any solid fat that can be removed from the top layer.  From my experience, these bones are usually quite lean, and there is little fat to be removed.  Microwave to warm up before serving.  Meat and bone soups always taste better when they are hot.

Carrots （胡萝卜）

Pork bones for soup （煲汤骨）

Dried red dates （红枣）