Thai minced pork soup with glass noodles

Gaeng jued is a light Thai soup. The name translates to "bland soup", though the flavour is gentle, not boring! Unlike richer Thai dishes such as massaman curry, this dish has a cleaner, more delicate flavour profile, built from the classic Thai "three friends" flavour profile of coriander roots, peppercorns and garlic, pounded into an aromatic base.

• serves

  4

• prep

  10 minutes

• cook

  20 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Series. Cooking. Rated PG.

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The Cook Up with Adam Liaw

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Ingredients

• 2 tsp vegetable oil
• 1 tbsp dried shrimp
• 1 tbsp chicken stock powder
• 4-5 wombok leaves, cut into 5 cm lengths
• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tube egg tofu, cut into 2 cm rounds
• 80 g bean thread “glass” noodles, soaked in cold water
• 2 thinly sliced spring onions, ¼ cup roughly chopped coriander, to serve

For the “three friends”

• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 coriander roots
• ½ tsp black peppercorns

For the pork marinade

• 500 g coarsely minced fatty pork
• 1 tsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp fish sauce
• A pinch sugar
• Salt

Marinating time: 5 minutes

Instructions

1. Start with the “three friends” mixture by pounding the ingredients in a mortar and pestle to a rough paste.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the pork marinade ingredients.
3. Heat a large saucepan over medium heat, then add the oil. Add the “three friends” paste to the pan with the dried shrimp and stir-fry until fragrant. Add the seasoned pork and cook, breaking up with a wooden spoon until browned. Add around 2 litres of water and bring to a simmer.
4. Add the stock powder, wombok and fish sauce to the pan. Simmer for about 10 minutes, until the vegetables are softened, then add the egg tofu to the pan. Cut the glass noodles in half roughly using kitchen scissors, then add to the pan. Simmer for a further 4-5 minutes, or until the noodles soften. Taste and adjust the seasoning to your preference.
5. Divide the Thai minced pork soup with glass noodles between serving bowls and top with spring onions and coriander.

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Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.