Scoop-A-Soup! – Pork Ribs & Black Bean Soup

My mother made this a lot when we were younger, but back then we’re rather picky and would just drink the soup without touching the beans. But they’re totally edible. I don’t know if these beans are the same as those Mexican black beans because I tried to make some Mexican beans and rice with these once, they taste awful weird raw. I think the black beans we have are more suitable for the fermented sauce products.

Anyways, you’ll see this in most Malaysian stores and they’re simply labelled, ‘black beans’. Black beans have loads of health benefits…none of which I can remember. 😛 My mother always imparts to me all the good stuff about black beans but I always seem to forget them. I think after reading this, I might expect a phone call from her and have another educating session about the goodness of black beans.

But that aside, this is a delicious soup and very warming. It’s so easy to cook you don’t even need to do much prep work. Be warned that black beans do have that ‘gaseous’ effect…as with most beans. To lessen this effect, some people opt to soak the beans first before cooking it, but I wanted the soup to take on the full flavours of the beans and that’s why I didn’t pre-soak them. It might take slightly longer time to cook, but rest assured, you don’t have to do anything else with it while it simmers.

Sometimes I would use the leftover soup to make porridge for my son and he loves it. The beans lend an earthy flavour to the sweetness of the pork ribs. When the beans are cooked, the flesh inside is more light brown than black. The soup will become dark, not an unpleasant dark…and your ribs will take on the natural colour that comes out from the skins of the black beans.

PORK RIBS AND BLACK BEANS SOUP RECIPE

Ingredients;

Pork ribs, about a rack of 7 or 8 (depending on how many people are eating)
3/4 cup black beans, washed
2 litres (give or take) water
Salt
White pepper

Steps;

1. Par-boil your pork ribs in simmering water for just 10 seconds. Drain. Add it to a different soup pot along with the washed black beans. Add water and let it come to a rolling boil.
2. Turn the heat down to simmer and let it simmer for about two hours with lid on.
3. Check if the beans are soft enough to bite. Adjust seasoning with salt and white pepper.
4. Eat while it’s hot.

Enjoy!