Traditional Chinese Pork Bone Broth

Ancient Chinese techniques that still work to strengthen the skin barrier ☯️especially helpful after those weeks where life's gotten busy

8 ingredients•Prep: 40 mins•Cook: 1 hr 25 mins

Alice Sun•

March 16, 2026

The most effective skincare is the one we’re most consistent with, but when you prefer real food to collagen powders that are always artificially flavored and chalky, this is the ancient batch prep technique that gets you collagen plus the vitamins your body needs to absorb it best.

In a world of “one step” solutions, we need help realizing that our bodies are sophisticated systems that work holistically. To truly absorb collagen to heal your skin barrier, we have to look at how ingredients work together to reach the places a serum just can’t.

Your body isn’t great at using collagen when you take it as simply a supplement. When you drink those powders, your stomach just treats it like any other protein and breaks it down. To get it to actually reach your skin, it needs Vitamin C to act as a trigger.

That’s why this combination works…

Pork Feet & Ribs: These are the most concentrated natural sources of collagen you can find. When you simmer them low and slow, you aren’t just getting protein; you’re getting the minerals and fats that help your body actually recognize and use it.
Lotus Root: This is your “Vitamin C” source. By cooking it with the pork, you’re creating a booster that has the collagen and the means for the body to absorb it in the same bite.
Daikon: This root veggie has natural enzymes that help your stomach finish the job of breaking down the protein, so you actually get the nutrients to reach your skin.
Kelp: This is about hydration. It has specific minerals that help your skin cells hold onto water.

Once you make a batch of it over the weekend, let it work for you all week. Here’s how I like to incorporate it into my daily routines:

As a second beverage to my coffee, I heat up a warm mug of broth with a pinch of sea salt. It’s grounding, savory, but lightly sweet from the daikon, and soothing on the tummy.
The 10-Minute Lunch or Dinner: Use it as the broth for a quick bowl of noodles or to poach an egg. Or infuse it into an italian night dinner, making it the base of your risotto. The grains will soak up all that collagen!

Here’s how to make your own.

Shoppable link here!

Instructions

Wash and soak the pork feet (1 ½ lb) and ribs (1 lb) in cold water for half an hour.
Drain, pat dry, then place on an oven sheet with the ginger slices (6 slices) and onion (1) that’s been quartered.
Lightly spray with a bit of oil that can withstand high heat, then place in a 450 °F oven for 45 mins or until the pork is golden brown.
Lightly wash the pork to remove the scum, then add to an instapot or large pot with water (6 cups) (for instapot) or 10 cups of water if simmering over a stove.
On top of the pork, add in washed and peeled lotus root (1), daikon (½), and the kelp (2 pieces).
Bring to a gentle simmer.
If cooking on the stove, let it cook for 3-4 hours.
Alternatively, cook for 40 mins in an instapot.
Strain the broth and keep it in the fridge for up to a week or freeze for it to last up to 1 month.