This noodle soup with pork and pickled greens (xuecai rousi mian / 雪菜肉丝面）is one of my absolute favorites–an easy, satisfying comfort food meal in Chinese households everywhere, where all you need is a few items from your pantry. My grandmother used to make this for lunch when she’d come to visit, and now it’s just one of those things where…any time I see it on a menu, I reflexively want to order it. A knee-jerk reaction–an almost mechanical impulse.
The other day, I was walking to the subway station from work–a thirty minute walk that I normally would have cabbed, but taxis were nowhere to be found. It was around 3:00 PM, I hadn’t had lunch, and the stark Beijing sun was still high in the sky, beating down on the hot concrete below my feet. It was probably almost 100 degrees, and I was sweating in a way that was extremely cruel to both my hair and my shirt–a black shirt (thoughtlessly chosen from my closet that morning) with ironclad fibers that tragically allowed almost none of the hair-dryer-like summer breeze through. The elastic in my hair tie had stretched to the point of inadequacy, and my ponytail kept falling out. Suffice it to say…it wasn’t a pretty sight.
I decided to stop into a mall for a very very late lunch, and walked into the first restaurant I saw. I took about ten seconds to skim the menu before ordering this–a bowl of PIPING HOT noodle soup with pork and pickled greens.
That is how much I love this pork noodle soup: I would still eat it while on the verge of heat stroke.
That’s love.
For the pork and marinade:
- ½ cup shredded pork
- ¼ teaspoon of salt
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon sesame oil
- ½ teaspoon shaoxing wine
- 1/8 teaspoon white pepper
For the rest of the noodle soup:
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 3-5 dried chilies, de-seeded and roughly chopped (optional)
- 1 can of pickled mustard greens (find this at any Chinese grocery store. It may be labeled “pickled mustard greens,” “pickled cabbage,” or “preserved vegetables”)
- ¼ teaspoon sugar
- 8 oz. noodles (dried or fresh)
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 scallion, chopped
Note: you can find pickled mustard greens in the canned foods aisle of the Chinese grocery store.
In a small bowl, combine the pork, salt, cornstarch, sesame oil, shaoxing wine, and white pepper. Set aside to marinate while preparing other ingredients.
Bring a pot of water to a boil for your noodles, and cook the noodles according to package directions. Drain. In another medium pot, add your chicken stock and bring to a boil. Keep warm on the stove.
Heat a tablespoon of oil in your wok over high heat and brown the pork. Add the chilies and the pickled vegetables. Stir-fry for a couple minutes, making sure the heat is still high. Add the sugar, give everything a final stir, and turn off the heat.
Lay the noodles in your serving bowls and ladle in the hot broth. Top with your pork and vegetable mixture, and top each bowl with a few drops of sesame oil and chopped scallion.
Serve your noodle soup with pork and pickled greens piping hot in a big bowl and commence slurping!
You can practically hear the clatter of that spoon in the empty bowl and the cartoon-inspired satisfied burp, can’t you?
Other Chinese Noodle soup recipes you should peruse are Lanzhou Beef noodle soup, Pho, and Cantonese Wonton Noodle Soup.
Noodle Soup with Pork and Pickled Greens
Ingredients
For the pork and marinade:
- ½ cup shredded pork
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon sesame oil
- ½ teaspoon shaoxing wine
- 1/8 teaspoon white pepper
For the rest of the noodle soup:
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 3-5 dried chilies (de-seeded and roughly chopped; optional)
- 1 can pickled mustard greens (find this at any Chinese grocery store)
- ¼ teaspoon sugar
- 8 oz. noodles (dried or fresh)
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 scallion (chopped)
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine the pork, salt, cornstarch, sesame oil, shaoxing wine, and white pepper. Set aside to marinate while preparing other ingredients.
- Bring a pot of water to a boil for your noodles, and cook the noodles according to package directions. Drain. In another medium pot, add your chicken stock and bring to a boil. Keep warm on the stove.
- Heat a tablespoon of oil in your wok over high heat and brown the pork. Add the chilies and the pickled vegetables. Stir-fry for a couple minutes, making sure the heat is still high. Add the sugar, give everything a final stir, and turn off the heat.
- Lay the noodles in your serving bowls and ladle in the hot broth. Top with your pork and vegetable mixture, and top each bowl with a few drops of sesame oil and chopped scallion.
- Commence slurping!
WBW says
Do you have a more precise measurement (I know it doesn’t need to be exact) of the zha cai? I buy pouches/envelopes, and am not familiar with cans of it (or can size). Thanks.
Sarah says
Hi there, it’s about a 1/4 cup. One small pouch is enough!
WBW says
Thanks!
jess says
Hi Woks of Life, what pork cut do you use for this recipe?
Also, have you found a good online source to buy asian ingredients? with the current situation is not possible to visit the asian stores in person……
Sarah says
Hi Jess, you could use pork loin or pork shoulder. Pork shoulder has more fat, making it the tastier option. It’s also more economical!
As for the online source for Asian ingredients, we don’t have the best answer for that. We generally don’t have a good comprehensive source that we know of. You may be able to buy some non-perishable goods online on Amazon. Our local store, 99 ranch, does have an online shopping option for dry goods: https://www.99ranch.com/onlineshop. They ship to 48 states, though it seems like a lot of items are out of stock. :(
Jenn says
Thank you SO much! My mom made this all the time when I was growing up. She would make a huge batch and freeze little packs of it so we could throw a quick meal together anytime we wanted. I started craving this dish when it started getting colder and just made a huge batch. Slurping happily away now and will be freezing packs of this for the future.
Sarah says
Love it, Jenn! This is also one of my all time favorites. :)
SB says
When I make chinese style beef/pork noodles soup by simmering meat for long hours, the soup turns out fine. But the problem is the meat which was boiled and simmered for making the soup becomes tasteless for eating. I dont know what to do with this meat.
Also when I eat beef noodles soup in local chinese restaurants, the meat pieces they put in the bowl in final dish does not look and taste like it was simmered for long hours. It looks white-ish and has cornflour/noodle starchy/star anise/sour flavour. I cannot fathom if they cook them separately.
Can you give me some tips on how they make the soup, what do they do with simmered meat, how do they cook the meat pieces that they add in the final product along with noodles and veggies.
Thanks
Sarah says
Hi SB, you could give our beef noodle soup recipe a try. We also have a spicy beef noodle soup and and Instant Pot Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup. Give those recipes a try. You’ll find that both the broth and the meat remain tasty!
Jennifer Law says
Love this recipe! My kids ask for it every week. Thanks for sharing.
Judy says
Hahaha, your kids are like Sarah. She would have this noodle soup everyday if she had her way. :-)
Ben Lee says
Fantastic recipe, my mom used to make this and it is a childhood favorite!
Judy says
Agree, this is an oldie and classic.
George Gale says
Is the pork uncooked? If so, how do you shred it? That’s a technique I don’t know yet!
If the pork is cooked, no problemo.
Judy says
Hi George, the pork is uncooked when you cut it. There is a trick though. The best time to slice/cut the pork (or any meat) is when it’s half frozen. That’s when the meat can still hold its shape, but the knife can go into it.
Trenton says
This is the first time I tried this recipe and it’s already one of my favorites! I used pork riblets in bone and boiled them in 2/3rds water and 1/3rds shaoxing wine and a little crushed red pepper before chopping the meat up.
Judy says
This is one of our absolute favorites. So glad you like it, Trenton.
sara rychener says
hi–have made your red curry coconut thai soup a bunch of times–delicious–even right now in the 89 degree heat of central florida..regarding the noodle soup, is the packet of pickled vegetables refrigerated or on the shelf–i have an extensively stocked asian store close-by?
Judy says
Hi Sara, they are usually kept at room temperature and on the shelf where they have the preserved vegetables.