Taro and water spinach (water lily) are two favorite ingredients for their crispiness, deliciousness, and high nutritional value. Today, let’s get into the kitchen with TasteVN to discover 2 ways to cook taro soup with water spinach (water lily) with ribs and crab, an attractive soup for the family meal!
1. Taro soup with water spinach cooked with ribs
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Preparation
15 minutes
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Cooking
40 minutes
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Difficulty
Easy
Ingredients for Taro soup with water spinach cooked with ribs Serves 3 people
Water spinach 1 bunch (water lily) Taro 500 gr Pork ribs 300 gr Salt A little
How to choose fresh tasty ribs
- Choose fresh ribs that are pink, with a firm texture, and no sour smell.
- Good ribs usually have flat and small bones because they have less bone and more meat.
- Avoid buying ribs that are discolored, lack elasticity, have an unpleasant smell, and are slimy.
How to prepare Taro Soup with Water Spinach and Pork Ribs
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Prepare the Water Spinach
When you buy this vegetable, remove the white flowers from the stem, then cut off the old stems, only eating the tender parts.
Then soak it in diluted salt water for about 15 minutes, then rinse with cold water, and place the vegetables in a colander to drain.
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Prepare the Taro
The taro you bought should be peeled clean, rinsed with cold water, and then cut in half.
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Prepare the ribs
Buy fresh ribs, cut them into bite-sized pieces, wash them clean, then use a knife to make a vertical cut along the bone of the rib piece.
To eliminate the smell of the meat, place a pot on the stove, add a little salt, and when the water boils, add the ribs and blanch them for about 3 – 5 minutes until the meat firms up.
Remove the blanched ribs and rinse them again with cold water, then place them in a colander to drain.
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Cook the soup
Add the blanched and cleaned ribs to a pot, pour in enough water, place the pot on high heat, and cover to bring to a large boil for 20 minutes until the ribs are very tender. When the water boils, if foam rises, use a ladle to skim off the foam.
After 20 minutes, when the ribs are tender, add the taro along with 1 teaspoon of salt, stir well, then continue to cover and boil for another 10 minutes until the taro is soft. After 10 minutes, open the lid, use the end of chopsticks to pierce the piece of taro to check if it’s cooked through, then add the water spinach, submerging it in the water and boil for another 3 minutes until the greens are tender.
Finally, season the soup to taste one last time, then turn off the heat, ladle the soup into a bowl, and get ready to enjoy!
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Final Product
The swamp taro soup with water spinach and ribs is incredibly delicious, nutritious, and very easy to make.
The swamp taro is simmered until soft and sticky, fragrant and delicious, served with water spinach cooked just right, still retaining its characteristic crunchiness. The tender ribs are sweet and meaty, adding to the broth’s rich and fatty flavor.
This is a simple dish that is very suitable to enjoy with hot, sticky white rice, definitely not to be missed in your family meal!
2. Swamp taro soup with water spinach and crab
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Preparation
15 minutes
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Cooking
40 minutes
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Difficulty
Easy
Ingredients for Taro Soup with Water Spinach and Crab For 3 people
Water spinach 150 gr (water lily) Taro 150 gr Freshwater crab 500 gr Morning glory 100 gr Sliced shallots 2 tablespoons Cooking oil 2 tablespoons Fish sauce 1 tablespoon Common seasoning a little (sugar/ salt/ seasoning powder)
How to choose fresh and delicious freshwater crab
- Good crabs have a cloudy gray color, the crab shell is usually brighter and shinier, the body of the crab is plump, pressing on the crab’s belly will release air bubbles.
- Fresh, healthy crabs usually run very fast, have all their legs, and their claws always point upwards when you try to catch them.
- If you want to cook a lot of roe, you should choose female crabs, and if you want more meat, choose male crabs. If you see a small belly, it’s a male crab, while a larger belly indicates a female crab.
- You should buy crabs at the beginning and end of the lunar month (13 – 16 lunar). The more orange-colored crabs are, the firmer they are.
- When choosing, flip the crab over and press on the belly; if it sinks, it’s likely a low-meat crab, often hollow and not tasty, so avoid buying it.
- You should not buy crabs in the middle of the month because at this time crabs usually molt, making them thin, and the meat will be soft and not delicious.
How to make Sweet Potato Soup with Water Spinach and Crab
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Prepare the crab
Fresh crabs should be washed briefly, separated from the crab shell, and use a toothpick to extract the crab meat into a bowl. Season the crab meat with 1/4 teaspoon of pepper and 1/4 teaspoon of seasoning powder, and mix well until the seasoning dissolves.
The crab body should be placed in a mortar, add a little salt and use a pestle to pound until finely crushed, then transfer the crushed crab into a large bowl. Fill the bowl with water, stir well, and then use a strainer to extract the crab meat broth.
Tip: To save time, you can replace the mortar with a blender to finely blend the crab.
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Prepare the vegetables
Thoroughly clean the water spinach by removing any wilted leaves and cut into pieces about 1/2 a forearm length. For the water mimosa, peel off the outer white flower, cut away the older stems, and only keep the tender stems, breaking them into pieces about the length of a finger.
Soak the water spinach and water mimosa in diluted salt water for about 15 minutes, then rinse thoroughly with cold water and drain in a colander.
Clean the taro by peeling off the skin, washing it with cold water, and cutting it into bite-sized pieces.
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Cook the soup
Place a pot on the stove with 2 tablespoons of cooking oil, wait for the oil to heat up, then sauté chopped shallots until fragrant. When the shallots turn golden and release a pleasant aroma, add the crab meat and quickly stir-fry over high heat.
When the crab meat starts to simmer lightly and gives off a nice smell, pour in the filtered crab broth, season the broth with 1 tablespoon of seasoning powder, 1/2 teaspoon of monosodium glutamate, and 1/2 teaspoon of sugar, stirring well until the seasonings dissolve completely.
Bring the broth to a rolling boil, and when the crab fat rises and forms clumps, use a ladle to scoop the crab out into a bowl. Add the taro and lower the heat to simmer for about 15 minutes until the taro is soft, then add the water spinach and the rút herb, boiling for an additional 3 minutes.
After 3 minutes, the broth should be boiling vigorously and the vegetables tender, add the crab fat back into the pot, seasoning the dish with 1 tablespoon of fish sauce, stirring gently for the seasonings to blend evenly into the broth.
Adjust the seasoning one last time to taste, and wait for the broth to boil again, then the dish is complete, ready to be served and enjoyed!
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Final Product
The taro soup cooked with crab is completed in just a short time and from very simple ingredients. The hot bowl of soup emits steam and has a rich, distinctive flavor.
The aroma of the crab meat sautéed and seasoned helps enhance the broth’s richness. The taro is simmered until soft and chewy, with a fragrant taste, served with crunchy and refreshing water spinach, which adds to the flavor.
This is a simple dish but incredibly delicious and nutritious, perfect to add to the family meal menu of every household!
How to choose sweet and fragrant taro
- Avoid buying single-rooted taro; instead, choose cluster taro.
- Small taro bulbs are usually sweeter and stickier, with a round shape or resembling a chicken egg, having a bumpy skin with many roots. Fresh bulbs often have a lot of dirt sticking to their skin.
- Avoid purchasing taro bulbs with many dark spots, rot, or those that are long and large.
How to prepare taro without causing itchiness
- You should leave the dirt on the taro, keep both the taro and your hands dry, then peel the taro.
- Boil 1 liter of water mixed with 2 teaspoons of salt, then add the taro to the pot and cook on high heat until the water starts boiling. Then pour the taro into a colander, rinse with cold water to cool it down, and peel the skin.
- You can wrap the taro in aluminum foil and briefly bake it in the oven or place the taro in a bowl of cold water and heat it in the microwave, then rinse it with cold water and peel the skin.
How to choose fresh and delicious water spinach (rau nhút)
- To choose good water spinach, select young stems with many leaves and a thick, fluffy white buoy.
- It is best to eat water spinach in the right season, which is summer, to get crispy, delicious, and sweet greens.
- This type of vegetable cannot be stored for long, so it is best to eat it on the same day to avoid spoilage, as it will become old if left too long.
How to properly prepare water spinach (rau nhút)
- To eliminate the bitterness of water spinach, after washing and picking, you should blanch the greens in boiling water or water with alum to reduce bitterness and sap, then rinse thoroughly with cold water, drain, and then cook.
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The above article guides 2 recipes for taro soup with water spinach (rau nhút) and ribs and crabs, delicious and flavorful, extremely simple and easy to execute that anyone can do. Wishing you success with this recipe!
*Images and recipes referenced from the YouTube channel TVD Cooking and Mon Ngon Moi Ngay.
