Suan La Fen (Hot and Sour Glass Noodle Soup)
Units
Temperature
Servings
Ingredients
Chili oil base
- 60 ml neutral oil rounded
- 20 g dried chili flakes rounded
- 5 g whole Sichuan peppercorns rounded
- 3 garlic cloves, minced rounded
- 15 g fresh ginger, minced rounded
Soup
- 100 g mung bean or sweet potato glass noodles, dried rounded
- 700 ml vegetable stock rounded
- 30 ml black vinegar rounded
- 20 ml light soy sauce rounded
- to taste fine salt rounded
Toppings
- 30 g crispy fried soybeans or peanuts rounded
- 15 g fresh cilantro, chopped rounded
- 10 g scallion, thinly sliced rounded
Method
Method
- Soak the glass noodles in warm water for 10 minutes, until pliable. Drain.
- Heat the neutral oil in a small pot until just warm, not smoking. Add the chili flakes and Sichuan peppercorns and let them bloom gently over low heat for 2 minutes, until fragrant. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for 1 minute more.
- Pour in the stock and bring to a simmer. Cook for 5 minutes to let the flavours meld.
- Add the soaked glass noodles and cook for 2 minutes, until translucent and tender with a slight chew.
- Remove from the heat. Stir in the black vinegar and soy sauce. Taste and season with salt.
- Ladle into bowls. Top with the crispy soybeans, cilantro and scallion. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Bloom the chilies and Sichuan peppercorns in warm oil, not screaming-hot oil. Oil that’s too hot scorches them bitter before their aroma has a real chance to release; a gentler heat draws out the fragrance without burning it away.
- Add the black vinegar off the heat, right at the end. Simmered for any length of time, vinegar’s sharp edge cooks off and the soup turns flat instead of bright and sour.
- Glass noodles turn mushy fast. Watch them closely once they go into the broth; a minute too long and they lose their pleasant chew.
- Crispy fried soybeans are the traditional topping and worth seeking out for the textural contrast; roasted peanuts are a fine substitute.
Ingredient substitutions
- A soft-boiled egg or a few slices of preserved egg are common additions.
- Ground pork, browned in the pot before the chilies go in, turns this into a heartier meal.
- Chili oil with the sediment included, if you have a jar on hand, can replace the homemade bloom for a faster version.