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Shredded pork and snow-cabbage vermicelli soup

Shredded pork and snow-cabbage vermicelli soup

雪菜肉絲湯米
Noodles in soupNoodlesBreakfastWeekendGood reheatedEasyhands-on 20 min · start to finish 40 min

“A bowl of noodles, an egg and a cup of tea. That is a morning.”

Ingredientsserves 4

街市Lean pork· or pork scotch, cut into matchsticks150 g
雜貨舖Snow vegetable· rinsed, squeezed dry and chopped fine1 packet (about 150 g)
百子櫃Rice vermicelli· thin dried rice vermicelli, one per bowl4 bundles (60–80 g dried each)
雜貨舖Light soy sauce· for the marinade1 tsp
雜貨舖Sugar· ½ tsp for the marinade, 1 tsp for the snow cabbage1½ tsp
雜貨舖Cornflour· cornflour, for the marinade1 tsp
雜貨舖Cooking oil· plus 1 tsp to seal the marinade2 tbsp
雜貨舖Rice wine (cooking wine)· Shaoxing wine, splashed into the snow cabbage1 tsp
街市Fresh ginger· in shredsa few slices
雜貨舖Chicken powder· for 1.2 litres of soup; or use tinned chicken stock2 tsp
雜貨舖Salta pinch
百子櫃Peppercorn, chiefly white· ground white peppera pinch
雜貨舖Sesame oila few drops

Method

  1. Cut the pork into matchsticks, mix with the soy, half a teaspoon of sugar, a tablespoon of water and the cornflour, seal with a teaspoon of oil and marinate fifteen minutes.
  2. Soak the snow cabbage in cold water for ten to fifteen minutes, taste a piece for salt, squeeze it dry and chop it fine.
  3. Dry-fry the snow cabbage in a hot wok with no oil over medium-high heat until it stops steaming, splash in the wine, add a teaspoon of sugar and toss; lift out.
  4. Add the oil, fry the ginger shreds, then the pork over medium-high heat until just cooked with no pink left; return the snow cabbage and toss together. This is the 雪菜肉絲: cool it into a box and it keeps four to five days in the fridge, a spoonful a bowl each morning.
  5. Soak the vermicelli in hot water for five minutes, or boil one to two minutes until soft; drain into the bowls.
  6. The soup: bring 1.2 litres of water to the boil with the chicken powder (or use tinned chicken stock), and season with a pinch of salt, white pepper and a few drops of sesame oil.
  7. Pour the hot soup over the vermicelli and top with a generous spoon of the pork and snow cabbage; the salt of the pickle seasons the bowl, so go easy on the salt in the soup.

Take care

  • Contains soy and wheat (soy sauce) and pork. Snow cabbage is a salted pickle: soak and taste it before adding any salt. Cook the pork until no pink remains. The cooked topping keeps four to five days refrigerated; reheat until steaming.

The story

Shredded pork with snow cabbage is a Shanghai and Ningbo pairing that came to Hong Kong with the Shanghainese arrivals of the 1950s and was borrowed by the 茶餐廳; it is the one 常餐 noodle that is not built on a packet. The vermicelli version is the Hong Kong one (Shanghai eats it on wheat noodles), and whether the dry-braised 炆米 or the soup 湯米 is the real one is the standing family argument.

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Lo Fo Tong is cultural food-heritage reference, not medical advice. If you are pregnant, unwell or on medication, talk to your doctor or registered practitioner before changing what is in the pot.