Pork and Mustard Greens Noodle Soup (Xue Cai Rou Si Mian)

Servings: 1-2

Ingredients:

1 pack of pickled mustard greens

1 small bunch fresh mustard greens

1 cup Thinly sliced pork

2-3 stalks green onions

1 tsp White Pepper (and more to taste in soup)

1 tsp Garlic powder

1 tsp Oyster sauce

1 tbsp Cornstarch

1 tbsp Sesame Oil

1 tbsp Sugar 

1 heaping tbsp Salt (and more to taste in soup)

1 can Chicken stock

1 can Water

1-2 disk Naked Noods

Instructions:

Wash your fresh mustard greens thoroughly. Cut and separate your greens leaves from the stems. Thinly slice the stems. Lay the leaves flat on top of each, roll them into a tight roll, and chiffonade the leaves - turn the chiffonade leaves 90 degrees and cut them lengthwise into smaller pieces. Put the mustard greens into a mixing bowl and add a heaping tbsp of salt. Mix the greens well with the salt to draw out excess moisture and set aside. 

Take the stalks of spring onion, cut and separate the green part of the onion from the white part. Finely chop the green and the white parts separately and set aside. The whites will be used in the soup and the green parts will be used as garnish.

Drain your pack of pickled mustard green. Rinse and squeeze out excess brine from the greens. Dice into small pieces and set aside.

Take your pork and thinly slice it into strips. Put your sliced pork into a mixing bowl and season it with your white pepper, garlic powder, oyster sauce, corn starch, and sesame oil. Mix well and set aside to marinade. 

While letting your meat marinade, rinse your greens and salt mixture well to get rid of all the excess salt. When done rinsing, squeeze your greens to remove as much liquids as possible - use a clean kitchen cloth or cheesecloth for best results. Set aside when no more liquids can be extracted from your greens.

Add oil to a wok on medium-high heat. When the oil is heated, add your pork to the wok and cook for 3-5 mins or until the meat is mostly cooked through. Add your pickled mustard greens and sugar and cook for 2-3 mins together. Lastly, add your fresh mustard greens and cook for 3-5 mins or until the fresh greens are soft and all the flavors are well integrated. Set the wok aside.

In a pot, heat your chicken stock and water together, add your onion whites, season with white pepper, and bring to a boil. Once your soup is boiling, add your Naked Noods and cook for 9mins. 

Once your noodles are cooked, add your greens and shredded pork mixture. Taste and adjust your soup to your liking. Cut the heat and top with your onion greens. Now you have yourself some nostalgic mustard greens and pork noodle soup!

Recipe thanks to @YongYi_VT