Dongbei Suancai & Glass Noodle Stew
东北酸菜粉丝炖
English: Dongbei Suancai & Glass Noodle Stew
Chinese: 东北酸菜粉丝炖
Pinyin: dongbei suancai fensi dun
Literal: Dongbei sauerkraut/suancai glass noodle stew
It’s usually around this time of year, late November, when I, like most people, start craving something comforting in the kitchen. In China, the best place to look is the Northeast, where hearty stews, braised vegetables, and big breads dominate the winter table.
Dongbei is a tough region in the cold months. No fresh vegetables grow in the frozen soil from November to April. Like other cold-weather climates, the only way to survive was through fermentations and pickles - preserving vegetables right through the winter months. In Dongbei, families would prepare huge vats of suancai - northeastern sauerkraut - made from the abundance of Chinese cabbage.
Stewing (dun | 炖) is the go-to cooking technique of this region, and so it was only natural to pair suancai with a stew. The result is one of the most famous stews of Dongbei: Suancai and Glass Noodle Stew. It might sound bland, but it’s quite the opposite. The aromatics are cooked in lard, the braise is from a pork broth and slithers of pork belly are always added. If anything, this stew would be too rich without the sour cabbage to cut through.
Of the many many Dongbei stews that exist, this might be my favourite. Whereas their pork rib or chicken and wild mushroom stews are amazing, this is the most unique. It is somehow hearty and fresh at the same time, and with the crunchy texture of the shredded cabbage alongside the slippery glass noodles, the occasional square of pork belly all floating in a rich soy-sauce broth, this is exactly what I want when the icy winds have frozen me to the bone.
If you’re looking to make this an easy one-pot dinner, add a few blood sausages or chunks of tofu, just like the locals.
Serves 3-4
Ingredients
1.5 tbsp lard or oil
150g pork belly - thinly sliced
4 cloves of garlic - finely chopped
2 spring onion - finely chopped
1 thumb ginger - peeled and finely chopped
500g Chinese suancai (sauerkraut) - shredded
½ teaspoon 13 spice
2 teaspoon Shaoxing wine
1 tablespoon of light soy sauce
½ tablespoon dark soy sauce
80g dried glass noodles (粉丝)
1.2 litres (5 cups) of pork stock
Method
Note: Glass noodles absorb a lot of liquid, so if your noodles are particularly thirsty, you might need to add 200ml or so more broth. In addition, if you’re not serving the stew straight away, leave the noodles out until 20 minutes before.
Soak the glass noodles in a bowl of boiling water for 20 minutes.
Prepare the suancai. If you suancai is very sour or salty, give it a rinse under the tap and then squeeze dry, but don’t wash all the flavour out, you want it to impart some sourness to the stew. Set aside for later.
Heat the lard in a large pot or wok over a medium heat. Add the pork slices and cook until browned and the fat renders. Add half the garlic, half the spring onions (the rest is to finish) and all of the ginger. Fry in the lard until fragrant - around 1 minute.
Add the shredded suancai and stir-fry for 3-5 minutes.
Add the 13 spice and mix with the suancai, and then add the Shaoxing wine and let it bubble for 30 seconds, then add the light soy sauce and dark soy sauce.
Pour in the pork stock, bring to the boil and then turn down to a simmer for 30 minutes.
Drain the water from the noodles and add the noodles to the stew and simmer for another ten minutes. Keep an eye on the stew and add more stock if you think it needs it.
Taste and season with salt and a sprinkle of white pepper (I usually don’t add either). Right before serving, sprinkle in the remaining raw garlic and spring onion, stir and you’re finished.
Put the pot in the middle of the table and let everyone ladle the stew into their bowls.
