Christian cooked the Pork Noodle Soup with Shrimp (recipe below) tonight since work ran a bit late for me. That’s another fabulous thing about having a menu posted on the fridge…if I’m not around Christian can dive right in and at least start cooking for us!
Christian’s a good cook, but can get a bit flustered at times so the fact that he told me that this was an easy recipe means it really is easy which makes it perfect for weeknights. And we both think that it turned out a restaurant quality soup…so much so that we had a hard time restraining ourselves and saving enough for our leftovers night!
We weren’t able to find Keffir Lime Leaves, so Christian substitued lime juice from 1 lime which turned out just delicious. The scallion and cilantro garnish topped it off just perfectly and I turned in that night with a very content belly…warmed from the inside out with an asian inspired simple soup. Yum!
Go ahead…try it!
Adapted from the cookbook: Soup, Superb Ways with a Classic Dish, page 156
Serves: 4-6
Total Time: 40 minutes
12 oz pork chops or tenderloin (or 7 oz boneless chicken breast)
8 oz raw shrimp, peeled & deveined
5 oz thin egg noodles
1 TBS vegetable oil
2 tsp sesame oil
4 shallots or 1 onion, sliced
1 TBS finely sliced fresh ginger root
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 tsp sugar
1 ½ quarts chicken stock (low sodium preferred)
2 kaffir lime leaves (not a huge deal if you can’t find them…we add juice of 1 lime instead)
3 TBS fish sauce
juice of ½ lime
Garnish:
4 sprigs of fresh cilantro
2 scallions, green parts only, sliced
- If you are using pork chops (vs. tenderloin), remove any fat and the bones. Then, for either type of pork, place the pork in the freezer for 30 minutes to firm, but do not freeze it completely. This makes it easier to slice thinly. Once sliced, set aside.
- Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add the egg noodles and cook according to the directions on the package. Drain and refresh under cold water; set the noodles aside.
- Heat a wok (or a deep, large stainless pan). Add the vegetable and sesame oils and heat through. When the oil is hot, add the shallots or onion and stir fry for 3 to 4 minutes until evenly brown. Remove from the wok and set aside.
- Add the ginger, garlic, sugar and chicken stock to the wok and bring to a simmer. Add the lime leaves, fish sauce and lime juice. Add the pork, lower the heat, and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Add the shrimp and noodles and simmer for 3-4 minutes, or until shrimp are pink and cooked through.
- Serve garnished with the cilantro sprigs and scallions.