← Nouns Cooking · Chinese

Ingredients

• 150 g pork tenderloin or lean loin, thinly sliced
• 1 tsp light soy sauce
• 1 tsp Cornflour (cornstarch)
• 1 tsp neutral oil
• 500 g baby bok choy, halved or quartered
• 3 slices Ginger
• 2 cloves Garlic, smashed
• 500 ml chicken stock
• 1 l Water
• 30 g Zha cai (pickled mustard tuber), shredded (optional)
• ¾ tsp salt, or to taste
• 1 pinch White pepper
• 1 tsp Toasted sesame oil

Method

1. Mix the pork with the soy sauce, cornflour and oil and leave it while you prepare the bok choy.
2. Rinse the bok choy well, fanning the leaves to wash out any grit.
3. Bring the stock and water to the boil in a pot with the ginger, garlic and zha cai and simmer for 5 min.
4. Add the bok choy and cook for 2 min, then add the pork slices one by one, stirring so they do not clump. Simmer for 2–3 min, until the pork turns white and is cooked through and the bok choy is tender.
5. Season with salt and white pepper, drizzle with sesame oil and serve as a light soup alongside rice dishes.

Tips

• Zha cai adds a salty, tangy depth; if you use it, taste before adding the salt.
• Swap the pork for tofu and use vegetable stock for a vegetarian version.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Omnivore's Cookbook Made With Lau Taste of Asian Food