Home Style Pork & Cucumber Soup
Submitted by klucero
Chinese pork and cucumber soup with marinated pork slices, fresh ginger, and translucent cucumber in chicken broth. A light, clean 30-minute home-style soup.
YIELD
6 servingsPREP
15 minCOOK
15 minREADY
30 minThis Chinese pork and cucumber soup is the kind of light, clear broth that’s a staple in everyday home cooking across China. It’s humble, quick, and deeply satisfying in a way that heavy, cream-based soups can’t touch. The broth is clean and ginger-forward, with tender pork slices and translucent cucumber that practically melts on your tongue.
The pork gets a quick marinade in soy sauce, rice wine, sugar, and cornstarch before hitting the simmering broth. That cornstarch coating does two things: it keeps the thin slices silky and tender during cooking, and it gives the broth a slight body without making it cloudy or starchy.
Cucumber in soup might sound unusual if you’re used to Western cooking, but it’s a classic Chinese technique. Cooked cucumber turns translucent and silky, almost like a melon, with a mild sweetness that pairs naturally with ginger and pork. Simmer it just three minutes so it keeps some structure.
Kitchen Tips
- Slice the pork as thin as possible. Partially freezing the meat for 20 minutes makes thin slicing much easier.
- Peel and seed the cucumber before slicing. The seeds hold water and turn mushy during cooking.
- Crush the ginger slices lightly with the flat side of a knife. This releases more flavor into the broth than intact slices.
- Don’t boil aggressively after adding the pork. A lively simmer keeps the slices tender; a rolling boil toughens them.
Variations
- Add a handful of glass noodles or thin rice noodles in the last few minutes for a more filling soup.
- Garnish with a drizzle of sesame oil and white pepper for a more traditional finish.
- Substitute shrimp for pork for a lighter, seafood version.
Ingredients
Directions
Cut the pork into thin slices and combine with the sugar, soy sauce, wine, cornstarch and oil.
Set aside.
Peel, halve and seed the cucumber.
Cut crosswise into ¼ inch thin slices.
Bring stock and ginger to a boil.
Add the pork and reduce to a lively simmer; simmer for 10 minutes.
Add cucumber and simmer until translucent, about 3 minutes.
Garnish with the optional ham and coriander.
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