Feel free to use this recipe as a guide, and make tweaks to it according to what you like, and what you have available in your kitchen. If you’d like to make this recipe gluten-free you can substitute dry cooking sherry for the Shaoxing wine, and use gluten-free soy sauce products.

Yunnan rice noodle soup

INGREDIENTS: 

• 200gms (7oz) pork mince (substitute chicken, turkey or beef mince)
• 2 tspns Shaoxing wine or dry sherry
• ¼ tspn dark soy sauce plus 2 tspns, divided
• 1 tbspn light soy sauce
• 2 tbspns water
• 400gms (14oz) fresh rice noodles or 200gms (7oz) dried rice noodle, or any noodle of your choice
• 3 tbspns oil
• 2 tspns minced ginger
• 1 tbspn minced garlic
• 1-3 fresh/dried red chilies chopped ( substitute red pepper flakes)
• 6 cups chicken stock
• ¼ tspn sugar
• 100gms (3.5 oz) bean sprouts (substitute julienned carrot or cabbage)
• 100gms (3.5 oz) spinach (substitute napa cabbage, bok choy, or even mix salad greens)
• 50gms (2oz) garlic chives cut into 1-inch pieces (substitute thinly sliced shallot or onion)
• Salt to taste
• 150gms (5oz) pickled sour cabbage finely chopped (substitute minced kimchi, pickled radish, pickled mustard greens, or a teaspoon of lime or lemon juice)
• ¼ cup coriander (cilantro) chopped
• 1 spring onion (scallion) chopped

METHOD:

1. Add the ground meat to a bowl, and add 2 teaspoons Shaoxing wine, 1/4 teaspoon dark soy sauce, 1 tablespoon light soy sauce and 2 tablespoon water. Mix until the meat has absorbed all the marinade liquid. Set aside in the refrigerator.
2. If using dried rice noodles, soak them in warm water for 1 hour (or follow the instructions on the package). Then cook the soaked noodles in a pot of boiling water until just cooked through. The cooking time will vary based on the thickness of the noodles. Rinse the noodles in cold water to prevent them from sticking together and set aside.
3. Pre-heat a wok or soup pot over medium high heat. Add 3 tablespoons oil, along with the ginger, garlic, and chilies. Cook for a minute until fragrant. Add the marinated meat, turn up the heat, and fry until it is cooked through.
4. Add the stock, 2 teaspoons dark soy sauce, and 1/4 teaspoon sugar. Bring to a boil. Once boiling, add in the bean sprouts, spinach, and garlic chives. Bring to a boil again, stir in the noodles, and salt to taste. Serve immediately with the pickled cabbage, coriander and spring onion.