Noodle soup with pork and pickled vegetables
Suan cai rou lamian
I ate this wonderfully substantial and fragrant dish at Noodle Kingdom in Melbourne’s Box Hill. It’s made with the intriguing pickled vegetable xue cai, also called xue li hong. This aromatic pickle is part of the Chinese tradition of preserving vegetables for the harsh winters. In English the vegetable is called red-in-snow cabbage and is sold in cans under the Maling brand as pickled cabbage. If unavailable, you can always substitute Sichuan preserved mustard tuber or stalks (zha cai). Northerners prefer hand-pulled wheat noodles (la mian), but any fresh noodles are just as good. — Tony Tan
Search for similar recipes...
Noodle soup with pork and pickled vegetables
Serves
4
Cooking Time
Prep time 15 mins, cook 25 mins
|
500 gm
|
fresh wheat noodles (la mian)
|
|
2 litres
|
(8 cups) chicken stock
|
|
2 tbsp
|
light soy sauce
|
|
80 ml
|
(1/3 cup) vegetable oil
|
|
200 gm
|
pickled vegetable, rinsed and chopped
|
|
300 gm
|
minced lean pork
|
|
½
|
red capsicum, seeds removed, thinly sliced
|
|
1 tbsp
|
cornflour mixed with 125ml (½ cup) chicken stock
|
|
To serve:
|
thinly sliced green onion and torn coriander
|
| Green onion oil |
|
125 ml
|
(½ cup) vegetable oil
|
|
4
|
green onions (about 250gm), coarsely chopped
|
|
1
|
For green onion oil, heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add green onion and cook until fragrant (15-20 minutes). Strain through a metal sieve into a heatproof bowl and cool. Makes ½ cup.
|
|
2
|
Meanwhile, cook wheat noodles in boiling water according to packet instructions. Rinse under cold running water and set aside.
|
|
3
|
Bring chicken stock to the boil. Add half the light soy sauce, season to taste, reduce heat to low and simmer gently.
|
|
4
|
Meanwhile, heat vegetable oil in a wok over medium heat. Add pickled vegetable and stirfry for 30 seconds. Add pork, remaining light soy sauce, season to taste and stirfry until pork is cooked (1-2 minutes). Add capsicum, stirfry for 30 seconds, then add cornflour mixture. Bring to the boil, stirring continuously, until thick (2-3 minutes). Set aside.
|
|
5
|
Divide cooked noodles among serving bowls. Add hot stock and top with pork and vegetable mixture. Scatter with green onion and coriander, drizzle with green onion oil to taste and serve immediately.
|
Drink Suggestion Slightly sweet riesling.
RECIPE Tony Tan
PHOTOGRAPHY Chris Chen
STYLING Lisa Featherby and Lou Fay
DRINK SUGGESTION Max Allen