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Hot and Sour Soup with Pork, Bok Choy and Ramen -A Quick Weeknight Meal!
When everyone is home from school and work and it’s time for dinner- the last thing you want to do is drag everyone out into the cold (because it is cold here right now) and go out to eat. This is something I have to remember because when I am tired and have worked all day I oftentimes suggest we get carry out and 9 times out of 10 it is some kind of Asian cuisine I crave. Namely: Pho (pronounced fa).
The closest place to my house that serves crave-worthy noodle bowls is 30 minutes away and that is out of the question on a school night. Next best thing? Make a version of my favorite belly-warming soup myself.
Enter in Mark Bittman. After hearing him speak on the campus of Indiana University last fall, my mom bought his popular cookbook: How to Cook Everything Fast ,for me. In it I found a recipe that closely resembles Pho- hot and sour soup with bok choy and pork, and I decided to give it a try. What I loved upon first glance was that the ingredient list was not long and many of the items I already had on hand. Not to mention the total cook time was right around 30 minutes with preparation. My kind of meal!
I knew right away that I would be doubling this recipe in terms of the amount of stock, pork and bok choy I used. Also, in a separate pot I cooked some ramen to add to each bowl before I ladled in the soup. This is what I used:
I used the whole package. Follow package instructions.
If you cannot find ramen, use whole wheat spaghetti (1/2 lb), or cooked brown or white rice.
Pictured with my favorite Mercer knife from Zesco.com
One feature in this recipe is the bok choy. I love, LOVE bok choy! It is mild and pairs well with many soups and stir fry’s. If you can’t find the full sized variety ($1.79 at most stores) then use the ‘baby’ version. I used 5 total cups (ribs and leaves).
Lastly, I think it really matters what kind of base you use. I used low sodium stock. It just has so much more going on. I used 2 32oz cartons which were on sale for $1.99.
The original recipe calls for pork shoulder, 12 oz to be exact. Well, that is hard to find in my neck of the woods in that quantity so to keep the prep time to a minimum I bought pork loin chops and sliced them very thin. Remember, this helps speed up the cooking. Have a hard time slicing meat? Pop it into the freezer for about 30 minutes to make it easier. You can find great choices of Indiana Pork at all Indiana grocery stores.
Adapted from Mark Bittman
Ingredients
- 3 lbs of pork loin chops, sliced very thin
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 inches of fresh ginger, minced
- 1 head of bok choy, about 1 1/2 lbs (5 cups sliced)
- 4-6 green onions, green and white sliced
- 2 TB of vegetable oil
- salt and pepper to taste
- pinch (1/4 tsp) of red pepper flakes, taste as you go
- 8 C chicken stock
- 3 TB of rice wine vinegar
- 2 TB of low sodium soy sauce
- 1 9.5 oz package of ramen, or preferred noodle/rice (prepare as per package and set aside)
Instructions
- Mince garlic and ginger, slick bok choy and green onions, set aside.
- Thinly slice the pork.
- Heat a large dutch oven on medium heat, add oil
- Cook the pork until no longer pink- be sure not to overcrowd.
- Stir in ginger, garlic, red pepper flakes and a bit of salt and pepper.
- Add in the bok choy ribs and cook for 2 minutes or until softer.
- (This is a good time to make the quick cooking ramen)
- Add in the stock and bring to a boil.
- Add in the rice wine vinegar, soy sauce- taste to see if it needs more seasoning.
- Reduce to low and add the leafy parts of bok choy.
- Simmer for 5 minutes.
- Divide drained ramen evenly amongst bowls.
- Ladle in soup, garnish with green onions.
