I’ve decided to pick our favorite meal from each week and post it, and I’m already a week behind, so I have a couple recipes to post, and they’re both soups!  I love soups…they’re usually quick to make and they’re great to take to work the next morning!

This is one I found while reading one of the 800 food blogs I follow, and it was surprisingly good!  It’s from Nigella Lawson, who may love food even more than I do, so even though the recipe seemed a little weird, I gave it a try.  You should too!  Matt spiced this up with his favorite, chile garlic sauce.

Vietnamese Pork Noodle Soup

Serves 2-4, depending how hungry you are

• 10 ounces pork tenderloin, cut into thin discs and then fine strips
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• ½ teaspoon paprika
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce
• 8 ounces ramen noodles
• 1 tablespoon garlic flavored oil
• 6 thin or 3 fat scallions, thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh (or frozen) gingerroot
• 1 quart chicken broth (good-quality carton, can or cube is fine), preferably organic
• 3 cups (10 ounces) bean sprouts
• 2 small baby bok choy, torn into pieces
• 2 teaspoons chopped red or green chiles

Put the strips of pork tenderloin into a bowl and add the lime juice, soy sauce, paprika and fish sauce, but don’t let this stand for more than 15 minutes.

Cook the noodles following the package instructions and then refresh in cold water. Heat the chicken broth until almost boiling.

Heat a wok or a deep, heavy-based frying pan, then add the garlic flavored oil and fry the scallions and ginger for a minute or so. Add the pork and its liquid to the wok, stirring as you go.

Cook the meat in the pan for another 2 minutes, then add the hot chicken broth to the pan and bring to a boil.
Check that the pork is cooked through, then add the bean sprouts and baby bok choy. Add water if the soupy base has evaporated too much – about ½ cup of freshly boiled water should do the trick, but you may not need it.

Arrange the drained noodles equally in 2 large or 4 small warmed bowls, ladle over them the pork and vegetables, and finally the soupy stock. Scatter the chopped chiles on top and serve.