Watercress Soup (西洋菜汤)

Here is another slow cook soup (煲汤) recipe.

Ingredients

1. 1 or 2 bunch of watercress (sold in bunches usually with the stems)
2. 5 dried red dates
3. 1 honey date (金丝蜜枣) (dried dates with sugar)
4. 200 grams pork ribs
5. 2 dried scallop (干贝)
6. 4 dried oyster （蚝豉, 蚝干）
7. 1 tablespoon wolf berry (枸杞子) optional
8. 2 liters water (some will dry up during cooking)
9. Salt

Method

1. Pick the leafy portion of the watercress and separate from the stems, usually more fibrous and with roots sprouting form the joints.
2. Plug away the roots if any.
3. Wash, and for the stems (usually not eaten, but can be), bundle them up with a cotton string.  This is just to help to remove them and discard if you do not wish to eat them. (alternatively, you can keep them to boil a cooling tea, 凉茶)
4. Wash all ingredients.  Put all ingredient in a stock or soup pot with water,  bring to boil and then turn down flame to very small and allow to slow boil for 3 hours.
5. Remove the bundle of stems if you wish to discard them.
6. Add salt to taste, and serve hot.

You can also cook this in slow cooker for 4 hours.