Pork Bone Soup with Daikon and Cabbage

Name: Pork Bone Soup with Daikon and Cabbage
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 90 min
Total time: 100 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Thai
Ingredients: 4 Large pork soup bones one meaty bone per person; 6 cups Water plus more as needed; 6 Chinese cabbage (bok choy), small heads ends trimmed; 1 small bunch Water morning glory cut into 4-inch pieces; 1 Daikon, large peeled, sliced 1/2 inch thick; 10 Straw mushrooms halved; 3 Garlic cloves peeled, ground into the herb paste; 2-3 pieces Coriander root cleaned, cut into small pieces; 1 teaspoon Black peppercorns; 1 tablespoon Coconut sugar; 3 tablespoons Light soy sauce; 3 tablespoons Fish sauce; 2 tablespoons Oyster sauce; 1 teaspoon Salt

Tom Jab Chai Kradook Moo

Slow-simmered pork bone broth with daikon, mushrooms, bok choy, and morning glory

Prep: 10 min
Cook: 90 min
Serves: 4
Heat: mild

This hearty, entirely non-spicy soup owes a clear debt to Chinese cooking, built on pork bones browned in a garlic, coriander root, and black pepper paste before a long simmer draws out their richness. Daikon and mushrooms go in partway through to soften slowly in the broth, while quick-cooking bok choy and water morning glory join only in the final fifteen minutes to stay vibrant. Thick and substantial enough to eat with just a spoon, it's traditionally served alongside rice — sometimes sticky rice used almost like a dipping tool for the broth in the northeast, or steamed jasmine rice spooned directly into the bowl.

Ingredients

4 Large pork soup bones (one meaty bone per person)
6 cups Water (plus more as needed)
6 Chinese cabbage (bok choy), small heads (ends trimmed)
1 small bunch Water morning glory (cut into 4-inch pieces)
1 Daikon, large (peeled, sliced 1/2 inch thick)
10 Straw mushrooms (halved)
3 Garlic cloves (peeled, ground into the herb paste)
2-3 pieces Coriander root (cleaned, cut into small pieces)
1 teaspoon Black peppercorns
1 tablespoon Coconut sugar
3 tablespoons Light soy sauce
3 tablespoons Fish sauce
2 tablespoons Oyster sauce
1 teaspoon Salt

Directions

Clean and finely chop the coriander root. Peel the garlic. Grind the peppercorns with a mortar and pestle until roughly chopped, then add the coriander root and garlic and continue grinding into a rough paste.
Heat oil in a pot large enough to lay the bones flat. Stir in the herb paste and fry until lightly browned. Add the coconut sugar and stir until melted.
Add the bones and fry on all sides in the herb and oil mixture.
Once well browned, add the water. Season with the soy sauce, fish sauce, and oyster sauce. Bring to a boil, cover, and cook for 30 minutes, then turn the bones over and cook 30 minutes more.
While the bones cook, trim the ends off the bok choy and cut the morning glory into 4-inch pieces. Peel and slice the daikon and halve the mushrooms.
After a total of an hour of cooking, top off the water to the level of the bones. Add the daikon and mushrooms, stir in, and continue boiling for 30 more minutes.
Add the bok choy and morning glory. Cover and cook for about 15 more minutes.
Serve each portion in an individual bowl with a bone and plenty of vegetables, covered with broth. Garnish with cilantro and Thai hot chilies. Serve with hot jasmine or sticky rice.

Notes

Brown the pork bones directly in the herb paste and oil before adding any liquid — that initial browning step builds a deeper, richer flavor into the broth than simmering raw bones would.

Substitutions

Any hearty leafy green can substitute for water morning glory if it's hard to find, though the flavor will be milder.