Glass Noodle Soup (Fish Dumpling & Minced Pork)
I cooked this homely bowl of glass noodle soup 冬粉汤 (or more commonly known as ‘tang hoon soup’ locally) as I was suddenly craving for this dish. My bowl of noodles comes with generous pieces of fish dumplings (鱼饺) and tenderly cooked minced pork. It was a very satisfying lunch!
Similar Recipe:
Dry Recipe Variations:
- Mushroom Bak Chor Mee (Minced Pork Noodles)
- Bak Chor Mee (Minced Pork Noodles) Soup
- Fish Ball Mee Pok Noodles
See Also:
When it comes to ordering fish ball noodles, there are different combination in terms of noodles choice, soup/dry and the mix of ingredients in the bowl. I usually order glass noodles nowadays because it is the only complex carb option :P Fish dumpling is one of the ingredients, but usually you only get like one fish dumpling when you order an assortment bowl mixed with fish balls, fish cake slices and pork. So this time round, I spammed my bowl with two of my favourite ingredients (the fish dumpling + minced pork).
STEP-BY-STEP PHOTOS
Pre-cooking Preparation:
Marinade minced pork (preferably with some fats on) with seasonings in a heat-proof bowl for about 15 minutes.
This is fish dumpling (鱼饺). I used half a tray (5 dumplings) for my solo lunch.
Soak the glass noodles in a bowl of water for a few minutes until softened.
COOKING:
Bring a pot of water with half a boullion soup cube (fish or ikan bilis) to boil. Season soup with a bit of light soy sauce, to taste. Alternatively, you can use home-made ikan bilis stock.
Transfer one ladle of boiling soup to the bowl of marinated pork. The reason for doing this will be explained shortly.
Meanwhile, add fish dumplings and boil until cooked, about 2 minutes.
Add the bowl of marinated pork in hot stock into the pot, cutting the pork to smaller pieces with a wooden spoon in the bowl as you do so. Boil briefly – the pork will be cooked in almost no time at all.
The extra step of “tempering” the uncooked pork with the hot broth shortly before cooking, makes it much more tender and prevents overcooking! I learned this trick from watching the hawker in action while standing in the queue, and this small additional step made a huge difference in the texture of the cooked pork!
Finally add the drained softened glass noodles to the pot to cook for a few seconds.
Dish out to a serving bowl and garnish with lard pieces + lard oil (optional), lettuce, chilli and spring onions. Serve immediately, otherwise the glass noodles will soak up all the soup. It’s delicious!
Glass Noodles Soup (Fish Dumplings & Minced Pork)
See ingredient substitution ideas and the links to recipe variations at the cooking notes below.
Check out the ingredient and step-by-step photos on the previous page.
Ingredients:
- 50g minced pork (or chicken) for best results, use mince with a bit of fat on
- half bouillon soup cube (pork, fish, ikan bilis preferred)
- 500 ml water
- light soy sauce to taste
- 5 fish dumplings (鱼饺)
- 1 bundle (about 50g) tang hoon (glass noodles) soaked in a glass of water
- a saucer of cut chilli padi in soy sauce
(A) Marinade for Pork
- 1 tsp light soy sauce
- 1 tsp corn starch (flour)
- 1/2 tsp sesame oil
- tiny pinch of salt
- 2 dashes white pepper powder
(B) Garnishes
- Coral lettuce (生菜)
- crispy lard pieces with lard oil
- chopped spring onions
Directions:
- Marinade minced pork with seasonings (A) in a heat-proof bowl for about 15 minutes.
- Make quick soup base. In a soup pot, add the bouillion cube and water. Bring to a boil. Season to taste with a bit of light soy sauce.
- Prep the marinated pork. While the soup is boiling, transfer one ladle of boiling hot soup to the bowl of marinated pork.
- Add the fish dumplings to the pot of boiling soup and boil until cooked, about 2 minutes.
- Pour the bowl of marinated pork with hot stock into the pot, cutting the mince to smaller pieces with a wooden spoon as you do so. Cook briefly until the mince is cooked through.
- Add drained glass noodles to cook for a few seconds.
- To serve, dish out to serving bowl, and garnish with lettuce, spring onions, crispy lard and lard oil. Serve immediately with a side saucer of cut chilli.
Cooking Note(s):
- In place of the soup bouillon cube, you can also use home-made ikan bilis (anchovies) stock.
- You can substitute the crispy lard and lard oil with garlic oil or shallot oil.
- Recipe variation links: pork ball glass noodles soup, fish ball glass noodles soup, mushroom minced pork noodles (dry), minced pork noodles soup and fish ball mee pok noodles (dry).