Chinese Pork Rib Soup with Seaweed - Easy 3 Ingredient Soup!

Simplicity is the key to this Chinese Pork Rib Soup.  The simple recipe allows the savory bone broth and umami-rich seaweed to really shine. 

This Chinese Pork Rib Soup includes only two essential ingredients, a rich bone broth and seaweed.  Both ingredients are simple yet so distinct in its own way.  These two ingredients encapsulate what makes this Chinese Pork Rib Soup recipe so exquisite.

Ingredients for Chinese Pork Rib Soup

A good bone broth is the base for every great soup.  The bones add deep flavor to the broth and the collagen enhances it. In this recipe, pork spare ribs cut into riblets are the ideal choice.

After a long simmer, the bones add natural sweetness and richness to the soup and the meat is fall-of-the-bone tender. I often make Chinese Pork Rib Soup whenever I have extra spare ribs from making Dim Sum Style Steamed Spare Ribs or Spare Ribs with Peking Sauce.

Pork spare ribs are available just about everywhere. However, the ones we're looking for are cut Flanken style. They're spareribs cut crosswise into 1.5" lengths and can be found in most Asian grocery stores.

If you can't find pork spare ribs cut Flanken style, that's okay. Full length spareribs will work just as well. They'll add the same flavors to the Pork Rib Soup, the bones will just be longer.

I've used regular spare ribs many times when I don't have time to run to an Asian grocery store or when there's a sale I can't pass up.

The other essential ingredient for this dish is seaweed. I love seaweed! It comes in so many varieties and forms, it adds umami to any dish and it's loaded with nutrients. 

The type I use in this Chinese Pork Rib Soup recipe is wakame seaweed. You might recognize wakame from miso soup. They're tiny dried bits of seaweed that when rehydrated, blossoms into a flavorful bite with a tender texture.

Do I Have to Use Pork Spareribs?

Absolutely not! Pork spare ribs provide the best of both worlds, succulent tender meat and bones to flavor Pork Rib Soup. However, any pork rib such as baby back ribs, St. Louis style ribs or rib tips will work.

If you're not a fan of bones, any cut of pork that isn't too lean will work as well, something like pork shoulder or even pork belly with the skin on would be good options.

Whichever cut of pork you decide to use, it'll require an initial parboil to remove impurities. Just a simple 5 minute boil will draw out impurities that cloud the broth so don't to skip this step.

After parboiling, be sure to rinse each piece of pork rib. Impurities will cling to the pot as well so give the pot a good cleaning. That'll set you up for a good pot of Chinese Pork Rib Soup.

What if I Don't Have Wakame Seaweed?

Kombu (dried kelp) is another great seaweed option. It only needs a small piece and 5 minutes of simmer time so add it at the end.

Not a fan of seaweed? Another good substitution is daikon or white turnip. When daikon is simmered, it adds a wonderful natural sweetness to the soup.

I've substituted seaweed for daikon plenty of times in this Chinese Pork Rib Soup recipe and it's just as delicious!

How to Make Chinese Pork Rib Soup

Begin by cleaning the pork spareribs of impurities. Boil the pork ribs in a pot of water for 2-3 minutes. You'll see foam and impurities rise to the surface.

Drain the pork ribs and wash off the impurities from each riblet. Clean the stockpot as well. This process ensures a clear broth so don't skip this step.

Return the pork ribs to the cleaned stockpot and add garlic and water. Bring to a boil then cover and reduce the heat to a simmer.

Allow the spareribs to cook until tender, about 45 minutes. The meat should come off the bone cleanly and easily.

Add wakame seaweed and let it simmer for 2-3 minutes or until it's fully reconstituted. Season Chinese Pork Rib Soup with salt and white pepper to taste and garnish with a sprig of cilantro. It's that simple!