Comforting Sour Pork Rib Soup (Canh Sườn Non Dưa Chua)
A deeply comforting, traditional Vietnamese home-style soup. Tender pork riblets are paired with tangy pickled mustard greens and fresh tomatoes in a perfectly balanced savory, sour, and clear broth that anchors any weeknight family meal.
Ingredients
For the Pork Stock:
- 2-3 lbs Pork riblets cut into small bite-sized pieces
- 1 whole Onion peeled
- 2-3 pieces Rock sugar
- 1 tsp Salt
- Water
For the Soup:
- 1 package Store-bought mustard greens (Chicken brand) rinsed and roughly chopped
- 2-3 Tomatoes cut into wedges
- 2 Shallots finely minced
- 3 cloves Garlic finely minced
- 1 tbsp Neutral oil
- 2 tbsp Fish sauce
- 1 tsp Chicken bouillon
Instructions
- Clean and Parboil the Riblets: Throw your cut pork riblets into a pot of boiling water for 3 to 5 minutes to let any muddy impurities and scum rise to the top, then drain the meat completely and give the riblets a thorough rinse under cold running water until they are perfectly clean.
- Pressure Cook the Stock: Transfer the rinsed riblets into the inner pot of your Instant Pot along with water, a pinch of salt, a whole peeled onion, and a small piece of rock sugar, then seal the lid and pressure cook on high for 25 minutes before venting the steam and reserving the rich pork stock.
- Sauté the Base: Heat a little neutral oil in a separate large soup pot over medium heat, sauté your chopped shallots and minced garlic until highly fragrant, then add your roughly chopped and rinsed pickled mustard greens along with the tender pork riblets from the Instant Pot, seasoning everything directly with fish sauce and chicken bouillon.
- Simmer and Finish: Toss half of your tomato wedges into the pot and pour in the reserved pork stock from the Instant Pot, bringing the soup to a gentle simmer while using a fine mesh strainer to skim any foam from the surface, then let it bubble until the greens are tender before dropping in the remaining tomato wedges for the last minute to heat through and garnishing with green onions.
Notes
- The Parboil Rule: Never skip parboiling your pork ribs. Boiling them for 3 to 5 minutes first and rinsing them thoroughly under cold running water removes all the muddy impurities and scum, which guarantees your final soup broth is beautifully clear.
- Rinse the Greens thoroughly: Packaged pickled mustard greens sit in a very salty brine. If you don't chop and rinse them well under cold water before cooking, your final soup broth will turn out way too salty instead of pleasantly tangy.
- The Two-Stage Tomato Trick: Add half of your tomato wedges early on so they cook down completely to flavor and color the broth. Save the other half to drop in during the very last minute of cooking so they retain their fresh shape, bite, and vibrant color.