Fresh Chinese Yam, White Pepper Corn & Pork Tripe Soup

Why people make this soup

The peppercorn-and-pork-tripe soup is one of the most beloved cold-weather comfort soups in the Cantonese kitchen. White peppercorns are gently warming — peppery in fragrance but not searingly hot — and are traditionally associated with calming stomach pain caused by cold, easing nausea, and relieving vomiting of clear fluids. Pork tripe (the stomach lining of a pig) has long been used in Chinese food therapy under the principle of “like nourishes like” — it is thought to benefit the stomach and build digestive strength. Added to this classic base, Nourilo incorporated a fresh root of Chinese yam, which provides a mild, starchy sweetness and is traditionally used to strengthen the stomach and spleen. Together with tangy salted mustard greens and pork ribs for body, this is a full meal-soup that warms you from the inside out.

Method

1. Clean the pork tripe meticulously: rub inside and out with cornstarch (cornflour) and salt repeatedly, then rinse well. Soak in a little white vinegar for 30 minutes to remove any residual odour. Blanch the whole tripe in boiling water, then drain.
2. Cut the blanched tripe into large chunks.
3. Peel the fresh Chinese yam and cut into chunks. Rinse the salted mustard greens.
4. Blanch the pork ribs in boiling water, drain, and rinse.
5. Combine all ingredients in a pot with 3 L of water.
6. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 2 hours until the liquid reduces to approximately 1.5 L.
7. Serve hot, eating the tripe, yam, and ribs along with the soup.

Nourilo’s Tips

The secret to a clean, fragrant tripe soup is proper preparation. First rub the tripe repeatedly with cornstarch and salt to remove the slippery layer, rinse thoroughly, then soak in a splash of white vinegar for half an hour — this neutralises any off-odours. After blanching, the tripe cooks up tender and silky. The finished soup is rich, warming, and deeply savoury.