A coconut curry noodle soup built on quick-marinated pork (a shortcut to velveting), lemongrass, and whatever vegetables are on hand. Brown the pork fast and leave it underdone, so it finishes in the soup and stays tender.
Pork and mushrooms
- 500–750 g pork sirloin, sliced thin and halved (3–4 mm thick, ~2 cm square)
- 2–3 cups mushrooms (such as shiitake), sliced
- 3–4 stalks lemongrass, sliced very fine on the bias
- garlic and shallots, minced fine
- 2 tbsp each soy sauce, mirin, and rice wine (or wine vinegar, or lime juice)
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- 1–2 tbsp cane sugar (or any sugar)
- 1–2 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tsp MSG
- 1 tsp baking soda
- salt and pepper, to taste
Toss the pork and mushrooms with everything else and marinate in the fridge for up to a few hours.
Fry the mixture in a nonstick pan on medium, stirring or flipping regularly, until well browned outside but still underdone in the middle. Set aside; it finishes cooking in the soup.
Soup base
- coconut oil (or the solids skimmed from the coconut milk)
- 2–3 tbsp curry paste (whatever you have on hand)
- 1–2 cups onion, sliced thin
- 1 cup celery, sliced thin on the bias
- 1 can coconut milk
- 500 ml (2 cups) partially condensed stock (unsalted and homemade is best; season carefully if using store-bought)
- 4 cups broccoli, in bite-size pieces
- 2–3 cups mild and medium peppers, sliced thin on the bias
- 1-2 tsp crushed garlic
- 2-3 tsp grated ginger
- 1 pack noodles, par-cooked in boiling water if needed
Heat some coconut oil in a large 5–6 L (5–6 qt) saucier on medium. If the coconut milk has separated, use its solids instead. Add the curry paste and stir until aromatic.
Add the onion and celery and cook until they start sticking. Deglaze with the coconut milk, add the stock, and scrape up the browned bits. Add the remaining vegetables and simmer until they’re almost tender.
Add the noodles and the pork mixture and simmer until the pork is cooked through. Taste and adjust.
To serve
In large bowls.
Variations
Tofu. Treat it exactly like the pork, and leave out the fish sauce.