A Bowl of Market Flavor ——Soup Recipe with Pork Short Rib, Corn, and Daikon

You can hear it, you can feel it

It's 6 a.m., still dark outside, but the sky is starting to wear on a dark navy blue shirt. The birds are already chirping, reminding the humans that we need to get up soon or else the goodies in the market will get sold out so quick just like the tasty bugs! The market is just two blocks away from the apartment, but the October morning chills has been convincing you to stay in the warm blanket for just 5 more minutes. Once you step out of the door it's a whole other story, the cool breeze on your face is actually really nice and refreshing, wakes you up from your daydream. An old lady just passed by on her little scooter, carrying all kinds of veggies and meats in the iconic shopping bag, makes you think what she is going to make for her family tonight. "What am I making today?" This is always the question when walking along the sidewalk, and the answer always become clearer as the sound of the market gets louder.

Photo Credit: @stts_photography

First Stop: Pork short ribs/meat balls

Thump! Thump! Thump! It's the sound of the butcher's knife breaking the bones on a giant bulk of pork. You watch as the bulk get gracefully assorted into loin, ribs, and bacon in no time. The freshly cut ribs are being placed under some spinning plastic stripes who's function is to discourage the flies from getting close. The whole process is so smooth and fascinating, you will feel sorry for not getting some.

Second Stop: Daikon/corn

"Come come! Sweet and juicy vegetables! The cheapest around! Come Come!" They don't need a megaphone, you can hear it from a block away. A lot of times they speak so quickly and loud that you can't possibly understand what they are saying, but that is not their point, they just need your attention! I have to say, they are very effective. There are many different booths that sells the same thing, imagine one owner that just sits there and look at his phone, and the other booth is making loud, rhythmic, and weirdly attractive slogans, which booth would you pick? Crates and crates of vegetables nicely organized inside of blue plaid plastic baskets, cold dew condensing on the leaves making them shine gorgeously under the orange rising sun. Are these descriptions still not convincing enough for you to get some Daikon and corn from here?

It's time to go home, these ingredients are just enough to make a tasty pot of soup to warm the body and the soul in the chilly autumn nights. You look towards the sky and realized the sun is already high up, booths are starting to close up as cars and scooters need to pass by to get to work. In the middle of hawking and honking, people coming and going, you see a small slouched body sitting quietly on a plastic stool by the busy streets.

Last stop: Cilantro

In front of the old lady is a piece of blue canvas on the floor, there's some green leaf vegetables and maybe some carrots laying there, but compared to the lively booths, the options that are being presented seems like they'd been starved and were much smaller. You may stop in front of the booth to see what are being offered out of curiosity. "These are just harvested from the small hill back there," as she points toward her small garden hidden in the lush trees on the hill. "although they might not look good, they are 100 percent organic! You will not be disappointed in their taste I guarantee." She says with a genuine smile, as the wrinkles lifts at the ends of her eyes. Scanning over the vegetables on the canvas that has barely been touched, you suddenly feels the urge to buy something from this old lady. You see a handful of cilantro laying in the corner, the deep green leaves instantly sends a sensation through your brain, imagining the bitter and fragrant smell it contains. Many people dislikes cilantro, maybe because of it's taste, maybe because of it's texture, maybe even because of it's look; but for many and many people, cilantro is what makes a dish complete. 

As the old lady hand you the cilantro with uncontainable joy, it might make you think that maybe, it's the dish that made the cilantro complete.

Photo Credit: @stts_photography

Recipe

Daikon : Corn : Short ribs = 1 : 1 : 1

Meatballs (if you have any)

Cilantro and Salt -- very important final seasoning

1. Peel daikon and corn, rinse them.

2. Daikon cut into smaller bite size(not too small), corn into short pieces.

3. Short ribs cut, rinsed. Add ribs into pot with cold water with some salt in, high heat until boil, keep boiling vigorously for 3 minutes then discard the liquid and then rinse the ribs clean. 

(What I like to do is get the meat out of the soup, roughly rinse the meat if there are some yucky bits stuck to it, and use a mesh spoon to clear the soup while transferring all of them into another clean pot :) but you don't have to if you don't have to save water and don't care wasting some flavor)   

4. Add daikon, corn, and ribs into a new pot, add water until cover all solid stuff well, bring to a boil at high heat and turn down to low heat for 30 min with lid.

5. Add meatball 5 min before ready. (if they're frozen, get them in earlier then; if you want them softer, get them in earlier as well; if you want them smaller, Bahh! You name it! You know what to do.)

6. Salt to taste. 

7. Sprinkle some roughly chopped/ torn cilantro before serving to complete the dish. Easily done.