Pork Noodle Soup With Ginger and Toasted Garlic

By Alison Roman

Published March 11, 2020

Pork Noodle Soup With Ginger and Toasted Garlic
Michael Graydon & Nikole Herriott for The New York Times. Prop Stylist: Kalen Kaminski.
Total Time
35 minutes
Rating
5(3,866)
Comments
Read comments

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.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 to 6 servings
  • 3tablespoons neutral oil, grapeseed, vegetable or canola
  • 8garlic cloves, thinly sliced
  • 1pound ground pork
  • 1½teaspoons 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 1½-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
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

435 calories; 25 grams fat; 7 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 9 grams monounsaturated fat; 7 grams polyunsaturated fat; 31 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 3 grams sugars; 20 grams protein; 766 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat vegetable oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium.

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

  4. 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.

  5. Step 5

    To serve, ladle soup over noodles and top with remaining onion, cilantro and toasted garlic.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
3,866 user ratings
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Comments

Linda Hoaglund

I recommend an umami-packed combo of mirin and Vietnamese fish sauce instead of soy sauce, which tends to overpower a simple broth. Make sure to use Roland or Red Boat, any brand of fish sauce that's made with care. Or, flavor the broth with a teaspoon of Mirin, whisking in 4 tablespoons of blond miso (don't boil the miso) with a pat of butter on top. For the mirin, try to find Takara mirin, made the traditional way with 12% alcohol. Or try Shaoxing cooking wine for smokey umami.

Sheila

So good. Made with ground turkey instead of pork, did half soy sauce, half fish sauce, finished with a dash of rice vinegar on top of the condiments. Definite keeper.

Shifra

I followed the recipe in terms of water to broth ratio, using a very rich roasted pheasant stock I'd made (instead of chicken broth), high quality soy sauce, and water. Mind-blowingly good broth resulted . . . I think it would've been too rich with 100% stock. I tripled the greens (used radish sprouts, pea shoots, and rainbow chard) and added a handful of tiny enoki mushrooms. Phenomenol recipe! Never saw my husband eat three helpings of anything. But he could not stop slurping this umami bomb.

lydia

Do half soy sauce half fish sauce

Peggy

Delicious, but next time I’ll use much less liquid. Maybe 2 or 3 cups each of broth and water.

Alex

I think a lot of times these Asian inspired recipes fall flat by not engaging with the fermented ingredients in these cuisines. Asian food has less browning of meats and veggies so that flavor comes from ferments. Really enjoyed this recipe by making the base from a dashi, added great body and savoriness. Sounds like a pain but after doing it a few times with seaweed and shaved katsuoboshi flakes, you can do it in your sleep

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