Chinese Style Fried Pork Noodle Soup

Mom made this for me last week.  My comfort food fortification before the storm of finals hit.  Thank you, Mom, you're the best.  

- Darin

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Chinese Style Fried Pork Noodle Soup

4 Servings

Chinese Style Pork Chop Marinade:
2 Pieces Center Cut Pork Chop, Bone-in approximately 0.5" thick
1 tsp. Shaoxing Wine
1 1/2 tbsp. Chinese Soy Sauce
1tsp. Salt
1 tbsp. Sugar
1 tsp. Rice Vinegar
1 tsp. Ground Black Pepper
1/2 tsp. Sesame Oil
3 Cloves Garlic, minced

1) Wash and dry the pork chop well with a paper towel.  Using the back of the clever or a meat tenderizer, pound the meat to thin and flatten it out.

2) In a medium bowl, combine the rest of the ingredients together then add it into a ziplock bag along with both pork chops, making sure to rub both sides of pork chops well.  Let the pork chops rest for an least 1 hour, preferably overnight.

Frying Pork Chop:
1 Egg Yolk, beaten
¼ cup Cornstarch
1/4 cup Vegetable Oil

1) Get a dredging station ready and be sure to use big enough plates as the pork chops should be fully coated by both the egg yolk and the cornstarch.  Shake off the excess marinade and dip the pork chops into into egg yolk then the cornstarch, shaking off the excess.

2) Heat up the frying pan on medium heat with the vegetable oil.  You can tell the pan is ready when you start seeing small wavy lines in the pan.  Carefully place the pork chop in the pan. Do not overcrowd the pan, so unless you have a big enough pan to fit both chops at the same time, you can do it one by one.  The pork chops should take around 3 minutes per side and DO NOT peek or move it around or you won't get a nice crust.  Just time it, then flip it to the other side.

3) While the chops are frying, prepare a cookie sheet with a rack on top to let the excess oil drip off.  After the pork chops are finished frying, rest the pork chops for 3-4 minutes on the rack before slicing.

Chinese Pickled Mustard Green Topping:
1tbsp. Garlic, minced (about 2-3 cloves)
1 tbsp. Vegetable Oil
1/4 Package Pickled Mustard Green “Lotus” Brand, very finely chopped
1 tsp. Salt
1 tbsp. Soy Sauce
2 tsp. Sugar
¼ tsp. Ground Black Pepper
¼ tsp. Sesame Oil

1)  Saute the garlic in the vegetable oil.  Once the garlic has softened, but not browned, stir in the pickled mustard and the rest of the seasonings. Stir until combined and set aside.

Soup:
6-8 cups of hot chicken broth, low or no sodium and preferably homemade, split between 4 bowls with the following in EACH bowl:
1 tsp. Soy Sauce
¼ tsp. Ground Black Pepper
¼ tsp. Sesame Oil
1/8 tsp. Salt
Chopped scallion

Noodle:
As for noodle, there are a number of choices but our family prefers the “Chinese Style” flat white (no egg) noodle.  Prepare the noodle per the package instructions.

Now the assembly time…..
After adding the the soup seasoning in the bowl followed by piping hot soup, carefully add the noodles and half of the pickled mustard.  Top with the sliced pork chop and chopped scallion.  You can also put the pork chop on a separate plate if you are afraid of it getting soggy.

Enjoy!