Zha Cai Pork Noodle Soup

Mix 200 g pork strips with 1 tsp light soy sauce and 1 tsp cornstarch. Marinate for 10 minutes while preparing the vegetables. Keep raw-pork tools separate.

Taste a little of the 100 g plain non-chili zha cai. If very salty, rinse briefly, drain well and cut into thin strips; do not soak for long. Wash, drain and tear 100 g lettuce. Mince 3 garlic cloves and finely slice 1 spring onion, keeping whites and greens separate.

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a wok over medium-high heat. Fry all the garlic and spring onion whites for about 20 seconds until fragrant, without browning. Spread and separate all the pork; stir-fry about 1–2 minutes until opaque on the outside with no raw clumps.

Add all the drained zha cai and stir-fry over medium-high heat for about 1 minute until evenly mixed and aromatic. Keep the pickle strips crisp and distinct.

Pour 1 l water into the wok and loosen the browned juices. Bring to a boil, then simmer gently for about 2 minutes until the pork is fully cooked. Add 1/8 tsp white pepper. Taste, then add the reserved 1 tsp soy sauce gradually until savory. If oversalted, dilute with a little extra water and record it; add no extra salt. Keep hot over low heat.

Bring 2 l water to a boil in a separate pot. Add 200 g dried noodles and separate them at once. Follow the pack timing until flexible with no raw center. Add all the lettuce for the final 20–30 seconds, just until wilted. Turn off the heat, drain and assemble immediately without cooling.

Finish the first bowl with half the noodles and lettuce, half the pork, zha cai and hot broth, and half the spring onion greens. Transfer the remaining hot noodles and lettuce into the second bowl, then add all the remaining topping, broth and greens. Serve immediately.