Cordyceps Flower and Red Carrot Pork Rib Soup

Soak the tea tree mushrooms and cordyceps flowers separately until soft, then clean them and set aside. It's best to soak and wash them separately, unless you don't mind the trouble 😎.

Wash the carrots thoroughly and cut them, set aside. The size, length, and shape are up to you, but for making soup, it's recommended not to cut them too small.

Peel the Chinese yam, wash it clean, and cut it into sections for later use.

Clean the ribs and cut them properly. Boil water in a pot and put the ribs in, letting them cook slightly so the foam comes out. Why cut instead of chop? Because when I bought them, the butcher had already chopped the bones, leaving only the connected meat, so it is cut rather than chopped/chopped.

Without turning off the heat, use chopsticks to take the ribs out and put them into the pot for making soup.

Add water, add carrots, add ginger and star anise. Turn on the heat. After boiling on high heat, continue on the lowest heat. The amount of water depends on the ingredients and the number of servings.

After about twenty to thirty minutes, add the tea tree mushrooms and cordyceps flowers, and continue cooking on low heat. Actually, it doesn't matter if you add them together with the carrots, since they will all be stewed anyway.

Simmer on low heat. The exact time depends on how tender you like your ribs. If you like them a bit softer, cook for a shorter time, otherwise longer. I usually cook them for about two hours, then add the yam, and continue cooking until the yam is thoroughly cooked and has a powdery texture. When adding the yam, I also add salt. Although there’s a saying that cooking salt for too long is unhealthy, if you only add it at the end, it doesn’t feel flavorful, so just decide for yourself 😄. As for red dates, it also depends on whether you like them very soft or just cooked through, then decide when to add them. I don’t like them too soft, so I add them a little earlier than the yam.