Name: Leng Saeb (Pork Bones Soup - Instant Pot)
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 45 min
Ingredients: 4½ lb pork ribs ((spare ribs, back ribs, or spines)); 3 liters water (3000 mL); 2 tbsp salt; 5 -10 cilantro stems (or 3 cilantro roots); 1 onion (large); 1 tbsp soy sauce; 2 cups of broth from earlier; 8-9 chopped chilies (or how ever many your heart can handle); 4 tbsp lime juice; 2 tbsp fish sauce; 1 tsp sugar

Jump to Recipe Jump to Video Print Recipe

This pressure cooker Leng Saeb, a hearty Thai pork bone soup, is the ultimate comfort meal that can be on your table in under an hour. The pork ribs cooks to tender perfection in just 30 minutes, extracting every bit of rich, collagen-y flavor from the bones to create a soul-warming broth. Topped with Thai chilies, cilantro, green onions and a squeeze of lime, it balances the tastes – sour, sweet, salty, and spicy. Once you try this savory and complex Thai soup made easy in the instant pot, this Leng Saeb recipe will become a regular in your dinner rotation.

Table of Contents

What is Leng Saeb?

“Leng” in Thai refers to pork spine. “Saeb” means delicious, savory, sour, and spicy. It is a Thai street soup that packs with a lot of flavors. Please, see a video by Mark Weins to see how it is originally served in Thailand below. That market was literally 15 minutes away from where I used to live! These pork bones tucked with a lot of meat between each bone. However, I simplify this recipe by using the bone – in pork spare ribs as they are cheap and easy to find in a regular grocery stores in the United States.

What is the difference between the stock and broth?

According to Food & Wine, stock usually is made from bones. The broth is generally made from flesh. They both are often supported with sweet and aromatic vegetables. However, the stock is not seasoned much for maximum flexibility in recipes. In this recipe, I start out by making a stock and cooking the pork ribs at the same time. Then, I make the broth from the stock for each serving as I plate the dish. See the ingredients for the stock below,

This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases at no cost to you. I only recommend products I believe will be helpful to you. If you decide to purchase products through my links, please know that I truly thank you.

How to make Leng Saeb using different methods?

If you are not able to speed up the process by using an instant pot you can use the following methods.

Stove Top Method: Simmer the pork ribs with seasoning for 2 hours. Then assemble by making broth separately for each serving.
Crock pot: Slow cook the ribs with the seasoning for 6 hours. Then assemble by making broth separately for each serving.

Note: This stock is a good base for many dishes include “45 minutes tender bbq ribs, sticky asian pork ribs, Tom Saap (Tom Saeb) and Tom Yum noodle.

How long can I keep homemade stock?

It is quite possible that you will end up with some leftover stock when making Leng Saeb. Therefore, you can refrigerate the stock to use for other dishes about 3 -5 days. Furthermore, you can extend the shelf life of homemade stock by freezing it up to 3 months for the best quality. However, it really can be extended up to 6 months in the freezer according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.