Chinese Tomato and Pork Rib Broth

This you-won't-believe-it's-so-simple soup was the default summer soup when I grew up. The clear broth is so light yet tomatoey...just the perfect soup for summer! You can also put in potatoes which makes a filling soup. Most of the time, when I am playing lazy and do not want to spend time in the kitchen, I make this soup and put in a scoop of rice (straight from the rice cooker) and this is our light dinner! Luckily Y doesn't see this as under-catering on my side, as he seems to like all kinds of 'soup rice'...

Serves 3

Ingredients:

1. 600g pork ribs, chopped into cubes
2. 2 teaspoons salt
3. 5-6 tomatoes
4. 1.5 litre water
5. 2 potatoes (optional)

Method:

• Wash the pork ribs and use kitchen paper to pat dry. Put the ribs into a bowl and add 2 teaspoons of salt. Combine well and leave to marinate for at least 2 hours (better if overnight).
• In a big pot, on high heat, add ribs and water and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat to medium. Use a ladle or a sieve to remove all the scum and froth that surface every 15 minutes or so. Boil for an hour. (Normally in Chinese soup making, people would par boil the ribs for a few minutes to remove the scum, but in this particular soup, if you do it, this parboiling process would dilute the flavour.)
• Chop the tomatoes (and potatoes, if using) into quarters, and add to the soup. Boil for a further 30 minutes and turn down the heat to low and boil for a further 30 minutes. Taste if you need any more salt. Serve.