Pork and Pickled Vegetables Noodle Soup
Whenever we go to our local Hong Kong style Afternoon Tea place (Cha Chan Tang), one of the items we typically order for lunch is this Pork and Pickled Vegetables Noodle Soup.
We like the savoury sweetness from the ground pork which is complimented by the slightly sour pickled vegetables that is served on top of this noodle soup dish. It comes to no surprise that we had to learn how to recreate this at home because it looks so simple and it totally is. If you’re crunched for time or feeling lazy, you can easily crank out this dish in like 20 minutes.
Key Ingredients for Pork and Pickled Vegetables Noodle Soup
This pork and pickled vegetables noodle soup recipe only requires a few key ingredients, most of which you can pick up at your local Asian supermarket:
- Ground Pork – You can use any type of protein or protein-alternative of your choice if you don’t have ground pork readily available.
- Pickled Vegetables – There are different types of pickled vegetables available at Asian grocery stores such as pickled mustard greens but the type you end up choosing is up to your personal preference. I tend to go for this one (see image below)
- Noodles – This is where you have some flexibility in terms of what noodles you want to use because the noodles come in various thickness. We don’t like the noodles that are too thin but don’t want them too thick either. This is the one we typically gravitate towards (see image above).
In addition to the ingredients above you need to make the noodles, you will also need to make a soup base. Here is our go to soup base for soup noodle recipes:
- Chicken Broth – We use the instant chicken broth powder mix by Knorr.
- Soy Sauce
- Sesame Oil
- White Pepper
How to Make Pork and Pickled Vegetables Noodle Soup
1. Marinade the Pork – Marinate your ground pork with salt, corn starch, white pepper, sesame oil, and shaoxing wine. Set aside.
2. Cook Noodles – Cook the noodles according to the package’s instruction. Before the noodles are done cooking, reserve 4 cups of the noodle water for the soup base to give it more flavour.
3. Prepare Soup Base – In a large serving bowl, add your soup base ingredients (chicken broth powder, soy sauce, sesame oil, white pepper). When the noodles are almost done cooking, add the reserved noodle water to the bowl with the soup base ingredients to form the soup base.
4. Cook Ground Pork and Pickled Vegetables – While the noodles are cooking, cook the ground pork. Once browned, remove and set aside. Cook pickled vegetables with a bit of sugar for a minute and then remove from pan and set aside.
5. Assemble – Add the cooked noodles to the serving bowl with the soup base. Top with pork and pickled vegetables, and chopped scallions as garnish if you prefer. Serve immediately.
You may also enjoy these other recipes:
Pork and Pickled Vegetables Noodle Soup
Ingredients
Ground Pork Marinade
- 3/4 cup ground pork (~215g)
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp corn starch
- 1/2 tsp sesame oil
- 1/2 tsp shaoxing wine
- white pepper (to taste)
Soup Base
- 1/2 tsp instant chicken broth powder*
- 1/2 tsp light soy sauce
- 1/4 tsp sesame oil
- white pepper (to taste)
- 4 cups reserved noodle water
Rest of the dish
- 1/3 cup pickled vegetables
- 1/4 tsp sugar
- 200g noodles
- 1 scallion, thinly sliced (optional as garnish)
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Instructions
- 1. In a small bowl, combine the ground pork, salt, cornstarch, sesame oil, shaoxing wine, and white pepper. Set aside to marinate while preparing other ingredients.
- 2. Prepare your soup base by adding instant chicken broth powder, soy sauce, sesame oil, and white pepper in a large bowl where you’ll be serving the noodles. Set aside.
- 3. Bring a pot of water to a boil for your noodles and cook according to the package’s instructions. Do not throw all the noodle water away, we will need some of it later!
- 4. While the noodle is cooking, you can prepare the rest of the noodle dish. Heat a good amount of oil in your wok or large frying pan over high heat and brown the pork. Once browned, set aside.
- 5. Give your pan a good wipe to remove any excess gunk and add a bit more oil to your pan. Now, add in your pickled vegetables and cook for a minute or two, adding the sugar to balance the sourness of the pickled vegetables. Turn off heat and set aside.
- 6. Once the noodles are almost done cooking, reserve 4 cups of the water used to cook the noodles and add that to your large bowl with the soup base seasonings to form your soup base. The reserved noodle water will lend additional flavour from the noodles to the soup base. You can then proceed to strain the rest of the noodles and add the noodles to the soup base.
- 7. Time to assemble. Add the ground pork and pickled vegetables on top of your noodles. Garnish with sliced green onions and serve while the soup is still hot.
