Pork Noodle Soup With Ginger and Toasted Garlic
This soup, based mostly on pantry staples, can be made with a variety of proteins, noodles and greens depending on what you have on hand. Snow pea leaves are exceptional here, which can be found in many Asian grocers year-round, but spinach, Swiss chard or other dark leafy green would work well. Don’t skip the raw onion, the soup’s finished complexity depends on it.
- Total:
- Serves: 4 persons
Ingredients
- 3tablespoons neutral oil, grapeseed, vegetable or canola
- 8garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 1pound ground pork
- 1 ½teaspoons red-pepper flakes, plus more to taste
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- 4cups chicken broth
- 3tablespoons soy sauce or tamari, plus more to taste
- 1large bunch pea leaves or spinach, thick stems removed, leaves coarsely chopped
- 1tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger (from about a 1 1/2-inch piece)
- 6ounces rice noodles (thick- or thin-cut), cooked and drained
- ½medium red, yellow or white onion or 3 scallions, thinly sliced
- 1cup cilantro, leaves and tender stems, coarsely chopped
Instructions
Step 1
Heat vegetable oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium.Step 2
Add garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until the slices become nicely toasted and golden brown, 2 or 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove garlic and set aside.Step 3
Add pork and red-pepper flakes to the pot, and season with salt and pepper. Cook, using a wooden spoon or spatula to break up large pieces, until the pork is well browned and in small bite-size pieces, 5 to 8 minutes.Step 4
Add chicken broth, soy sauce and 4 cups water. Bring to a simmer and cook for about 5 to 8 minutes or so, until the pork is very tender and the broth tastes impossibly good. (Give it a taste and season with salt, pepper, red-pepper flakes and soy sauce, if you want.) Add pea leaves, half of the onion slices, and all of the ginger. Stir to wilt the leaves.Step 5
To serve, ladle soup over noodles and top with remaining onion, cilantro and toasted garlic.