Te Kar Kiam Chye Soup (Pig Trotter with Salted Mustard Green Soup)

Pig Trotter with Kiam Chye Soup (Te Kar Kiam Chye Soup) is a traditional, robust Teochew soup. It combines the rich, gelatinous texture of pork trotters with the tangy, salty punch of salted mustard greens. The broth is perfectly balanced with tomatoes and salted plums, making it a comforting and nourishing dish.

Key Ingredients & Preparation

To create the perfect Te Kar Kiam Chye Soup, you’ll need the following core ingredients:

• Pig Trotter: Chopped into pieces and blanched in boiling water to remove impurities.
• Kiam Chye (Salted Mustard Greens): Soaked in water to reduce excess saltiness, then cut into bite-sized pieces.
• Tomatoes & Salted Plums: Added to the broth to provide a bright, appetizing sourness.
• Aromatics: Garlic, ginger, and sometimes peppercorns are used to build a robust and fragrant base.
• Water or Pork Broth: Simmered slowly to allow the fat from the pig trotters to melt into the soup, creating a rich texture.

You can also replace the pork with duck. If you are interested, please check out my Kiam Chye Duck Recipe @ https://wp.me/p8790g-14q and Youtube Recipe @ https://youtu.be/wmAFayEDcTo

To learn how to make the KIam Chye Pork dish, please click on the image below to view my video tutorial. 

YouTube link: https://youtu.be/saMyuVV31Po

Print Pin

Pig Trotter with Kiam Chye Soup

Author Shiokman Eddie

Ingredients

• 1 kg pork trotter
• 9 cloves garlic
• 8 slices ginger
• 4 salted plums lightly crushed
• 500 g kiam chye salted mustard cabbage
• 4 – 5 to matoes cut into quarters
• 2 Tbsp shaoxing rice wine
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1.5 – 2 litres water
• 1 tsp pepper

Instructions

• Wash, cut and soak kiam chye for 30 minutes. Change water at least twice.
• Cut pork trotter into small pieces.
• Blanch in boiling water for a few minutes to remove scum and rinse off with running water.
• Add sliced ginger, garlic, salted plums and blanched pork into a big pot.
• Add shaoxing rice wine, black pepper and water.
• Bring to a boil and lower the heat. Cover the pot and simmer over medium heat for 1 ½ – 2 hrs.
• Remove the cover and add kiam chye
• Cover the pot and let it boil until the vegetable has slightly softened.
• Add tomatoes, cover and simmer for about 15 mins.
• Check that the pork meat has tenderised. If not, simmer until tender.