old cucumber and pork rib soup

today, i will tell you how i prepare the old cucumber and pork rib soup. i bought the smallest old cucumber from ntuc supermarket for $1.20. the pork ribs - 7 pieces in all - cost slightly more than $2.00. the dried red dates, scallops and the small piece of rock sugar are from our own stock.

i normally remove the skin of the cucumber by using a peeler. (it's okay to keep the skin but make sure you scrub it clean.) i also remove the seeds and the soft parts by using a metal spoon. (again, if you don't mind the seeds, you can keep them.) i then cut the flesh into bite size pieces.

boil a small pot of water to blanch the pork ribs. when the water boils, just leave the pieces of pork ribs in it for about a minute. after that, drain the water away.

next, place all the ingredients, including the blanched pork ribs, into an earthen pot. fill it with water to cover all the ingredients. i normally pour in 2 or 3 rice bowls of water. bring the water to boil. let it boil for 10 minutes or so before bringing down the flame so as to allow the soup to simmer. an hour of simmering will do, by then you should be getting a whiff of the flavour.