One of my favorite variants of pork bone soup, this one is good for summer because fresh water chestnuts are light, crispy, and sweet. Unlike other vegetables like carrots and potatoes, water chestnuts stay crispy even after cooking, giving the soup an interesting texture.

The main challenge of this dish is finding fresh whole water chestnuts. In America most water chestnuts are sold canned and sliced. These are no good, they are flavorless. You need to buy fresh ones from an Asian supermarket, which are quite a pain to wash and peel.

Water Chestnut Soup: #

• Prep time: 30 minutes
• Cook time: 2 hours

Ingredients (Serves 6): #

• 1-1.5 lb of pork bones (any kind will do, but I like spare ribs for this one)
• 2-3 medium carrots
• as many water chestnuts as you feel like peeling (15-20 should do)
• salt

Directions: #

1. Put pork bones in large pot and fill halfway with water. If the pork bones are exposed above the water then you need more water and/or a bigger pot.
2. Peel the carrots, cut them into 1 inch triangular chunks, and add them to the pot.
3. When the water boils, stir it a bit, reduce to a simmer and cook for an hour and a half. Check in after 30 minutes and skim off any foam clumps that appear at the top - better you are at this the clearer the soup will be at the end. Add more water if too much boils off.
4. While you’re waiting, wash and peel the water chestnuts carefully, and use a paring knife to cut off any weird-looking or damaged spots. Do not leave any skin on.
5. Put the water chestnuts in and cook for another 20 or so minutes.
6. Skim off any remaining impurities floating on top, add salt to taste, and serve.