Yunnan Rice Noodle Soup

5 from 1 vote

Enjoy the rich, savory flavors of Yunnan rice noodle soup, a comforting dish of bouncy noodles, delicious broth, and crispy vegetables. Simply irresistible!

Prep Time8

Cook Time15

Total Time23

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Chinese

Servings: bowls

Author: Wei Guo

Ingredients

For the noodles

8 oz dried rice noodles see note 1

For the meat

6 oz ground pork or beef, chicken, turkey
½ teaspoon cornstarch
⅛ teaspoon salt
1 pinch ground white pepper
1 tablespoon stock or water

For the soup

½ tablespoon neutral cooking oil or lard
1½ oz pickled mustard greens finely chopped, see note 2
1 tablespoon Sichuan chili bean paste aka spicy doubanjiang
3 cup unsalted stock pork or chicken
2 tablespoon light soy sauce
½ teaspoon sugar
2 oz Chinese chives cut into sections
3 oz bean sprouts
Salt to taste
Chili oil to taste

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Parboil the noodles

*Skip this step if you’re using fresh rice noodles.
Soak dried rice noodles in cold water for 4 hours or overnight (see note 3). Drain well then put them into a pot of boiling water. Leave to cook until the noodles become 'al dente' (not yet fully cooked but can be snapped between chopsticks). Rinse them under tap water to stop further cooking. Set aside.

Season the meat

Put ground meat into a bowl. Add cornstarch, salt, white pepper, and 1 tablespoon of stock or water. Mix until it becomes a sticky mixture. Set aside.

Cook the soup

Heat oil in a wok or a pot. Stir in finely chopped pickled mustard greens. Fry for 20 seconds or so, then add Sichuan chili bean paste. Sizzle until fragrant.
Pour in stock, then add light soy sauce and sugar. Bring it to a full boil.
Use a spoon to shape a portion of the ground meat into a thin patty and carefully slide it into the soup. Repeat this process with the remaining meat. Allow the patties to simmer in the soup for 1 minute, or until they are no longer pink.

Combine the dish

Put the parboiled noodles into the soup, along with Chinese chives and bean sprouts. Leave to simmer over low heat. Once the noodles are fully cooked, give the soup a taste to decide if additional salt is necessary.
Transfer the noodle soup into two large serving bowls. Drizzle chili oil over and serve immediately.

Notes

1. You can also use fresh rice noodles, which can be directly added to the soup without parboiling. In this case, use around 1 pound of fresh noodles for two bowls of noodle soup.

2. Pickled mustard greens can be replaced with other types of fermented vegetables, such as pickled cabbage, pickled radish, pickled beans, kimchi, or sauerkraut.

3. Soaking rice noodles isn’t compulsory. You may cook them straight away, but this will require a longer cooking time.

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