It was a cold evening after work. I passed by a restaurant and got caught by the enticing aroma of Rice Noodle in Sour Soup, which triggered my memories of the sour and spicy flavors. I decided to recreate the dish at home. I headed to a local market, gathered the necessary ingredients, and cooked it within just 30 minutes.
With a variety of ingredients, this dish features rich textures. The harmonious blend of spiciness and unique sourness not only tantalizes my taste buds but also leaves a lasting impression.
Come and cook this dish with me!
Ingredients
The ingredients below are sufficient for two people.
- 180g rice noodles. I used Jiangxi rice noodles. Jiangxi is a province in China and it is also my hometown which is famous for rice noodles. I grew up eating rice noodles almost every day because they are the main food in breakfast restaurants in Jiangxi.
- 5 stalks of leeks, cut into segments
- 200g bean sprouts, washed and drained
- 80g pork, minced. Choose pork with a good mix of lean and fat.
- 100g pickled cabbage, diced
- 1 small chili pepper, finely chopped. Adjust the quantity according to your spice preference and the spiciness of the chili pepper. If you like spicy food, it is recommended to make it more spicy.
- 1 tomato 150g, diced
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 piece of ginger, minced
- 400ML water
Seasoning
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1 tsp light soy sauce
- 1/8 tsp dark soy sauce
- Salt (optional, depending on the saltiness of the pickled cabbage)
- 1/8 tsp chicken bouillon powder (optional)
Cooking Steps
I used a stainless steel pot and a clay pot for this recipe.
Step 1: Cook the rice noodles with a stainless steel pot. Boil water, add the rice noodles, and cook for 6 minutes. Rice noodles from different brands may have different cooking instructions. Scoop up the noodles, rinse the rice slurry with water and then drain.
Step 2: Heat the clay pot and evaporate any remaining water. Add 1 tbsp oil, heat it and then stir-fry the chopped pork until it changes color.
Step 3: Add minced ginger and garlic to the pork, and continue stir-frying until you can smell the aroma of cooked ginger and garlic, about 30 seconds in a clay pot.
Step 4: Add pickled cabbage, stir-fry together until its moisture evaporates.
Step 5: Add diced tomatoes and continue stir-frying. Start seasoning by adding 1 tsp light soy sauce and 1/8 tsp dark soy sauce, stir-frying to mix evenly.
Step 6: Once the tomatoes begin to soften, add 400ML water. After the water boils, taste and decide whether to add salt. If you have chicken bouillon powder, add 1/8 tsp.
Step 7: Add the rice noodles. If they are almost cooked, add bean sprouts and leeks at the same time. If the noodles need more time, add bean sprouts and leeks later. Both bean sprouts and leeks only need to be slightly softened for a crispy texture.
Once all the ingredients are cooked, it’s ready to be served!
