Instant Pot Chinese Watercress Soup. Comforting, warm, light watercress soup easily made with just 5 ingredients in a pressure cooker.
Jump to:
What is Chinese Watercress Soup?
Chinese Watercress Soup is a classic Chinese soup dish that features leafy watercress vegetables in a clear broth made with pork. Even though the broth is clear and light, the pork gives it a wonderful flavor that compliments the watercress leaves. This Chinese soup is often made in many Chinese households. In Chinese cuisine, we usually have soup as a starter to help prevent over eating and also for the many benefits that it provides. This easy soup recipe is ready in 1 hour and 10 minutes with the instant pot and can be kept for 4-5 days if you refrigerate it and re-boil it for later.
I remember serving this soup to my family, using chopsticks to scoop out equal size portion of the watercress leaves in each bowl, followed by a big ladle of broth. We would drink it before our main dinner and if we had leftover rice we would pour it into the soup to easily finish it off! It was the best way to warm the body up especially during the colder months.
Ingredients
- Pork butt or pork shoulder: or use bone in chicken
- Garlic
- Watercress Leaves: make sure these are fresh and vibrant
- Cold Water
- Regular Soy sauce: or oyster sauce for a deep flavor
How to make Watercress Soup
- Add sliced pork chunks and minced garlic to instant pot followed by 8 cups of water. Cover instant pot with lid and set to "Soup Mode" and set timer to 60 mins. Set to "Sealing Mode" and allow this to pressurize and boil out.
- Meanwhile wash and rinse watercress at least 5 times until there is no dirt or bugs. Strain and set aside.
- Once broth has pressurized, release the steam by releasing the Seal. Then set to sauté mode to bring broth to boil. Meanwhile skim and remove the scum and oil floating on top, leaving the pork chunks in the pot.
- When broth is boiling, then add watercress leaves. Do not add watercress when the liquid is not boiling, or it will turn bitter!
- Cover with lid and set to "Soup mode" and "Sealing Mode On". Reduce timer to 5 minutes. Allow this to pressurize and boil. Release the seal to allow steam to escape and remove lid.
- Season with soy sauce to taste. Enjoy!
Storage & Reheating
Chinese Watercress Soup lasts 5 days stored in an airtight container in the fridge. To re-heat it, re-boil the soup over the stove top or microwave it.
Expert Tips
- Source fresh watercress leaves that are bright and vibrant.
- Use pork shoulder or pork butt for a richer tasting broth.
- Thoroughly rinse the watercress bunches at least 5 times until there is no dirt or bugs trapped between the leaves. I usually place the watercress leaves in a colander set inside a large steel mixing bowl. Then I fill it with water, rubbing the leaves and then lifting the colander out of the mixing bowl of water. Repeating the process again 4 more times until the leaves are super clean.
- Make sure to skim the cooked broth of its oil and scum floating at the top prior to adding the watercress leaves.
- Do not add the watercress when the broth is lukewarm or just hot, it must be boiling, or you will end up with a very bitter soup!
FAQ
Can I make this over the stove-top?
Yes! First add your pork and minced garlic into a pot filled with 8 cups of water. Then bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer over medium heat covered. Let this boil for at least 120 minutes to really bring out the flavour.
Remove the lid and skim out the scum and oils floating at the top.
Increase heat to high and bring to a boil, then add your washed watercress leaves into the pot and submerge them. Boil for 30 minutes until the leaves turn a darker green. Season with soy sauce and enjoy!
How do you pick watercress?
Pick the ones that are vibrant green and are not wilted but perky looking. Avoid picking the ones that look very wilted or yellow in colour.
Why is my watercress soup bitter?
Because when watercress is added to non-boiling hot water, there is a reaction that causes the soup to turn bitter. Therefore, it's important to read the recipe card instructions carefully.
Can I freeze watercress soup?
Yes, you can. I recommend allowing it to cool down completely and divide it into freezer and leak proof containers. It should last up until 1-2 months, and you can re-boil for later.
Other recipes you may like!
- HONG KONG TOMATO MACARONI SOUP
- SATAY BEEF NOODLE SOUP
- FISH BALL NOODLE SOUP
- CHAR SIU UDON NOODLE SOUP
- HONG KONG STYLE MACARONI SOUP
📖 Recipe
Instant Pot Chinese Watercress Soup
Ingredients
- 1.20 lb pork butt or pork shoulder sliced into big chunks
- 2 teaspoon garlic minced
- 2 bunches watercress leaves
- 8 cups water
- 3 tablespoon regular soy sauce or as needed
Instructions
- Add sliced pork chunks and minced garlic to instant pot followed by 8 cups of water. Cover instant pot with lid and set to "Soup Mode" and set timer to 60 mins. Set to "Sealing Mode" and allow this to pressurize and boil out.
- Meanwhile wash and rinse watercress at least 5 times until there is no dirt or bugs. Strain and set aside.
- Once broth has pressurized, release the steam by releasing the Seal. Then set to sauté mode to bring broth to boil. Meanwhile skim and remove the scum and oil floating on top, leaving the pork chunks in the pot.
- When broth is boiling, then add watercress leaves. Do not add watercress when the liquid is not boiling, or it will turn bitter!
- Cover with lid and set to "Soup mode" and "Sealing Mode On". Reduce timer to 5 minutes. Allow this to pressurize and boil. Release the seal to allow steam to escape and remove lid.
- Season with soy sauce to taste. Enjoy!
Heidi | The Frugal Girls
That was a great tip for using chopsticks to serve up equal portions of the watercress into each bowl. Nothing beats a hot bowl of delicious soup on a cold night!!