Yunnan Recipe
Small-Pot Rice Noodles
Small-pot rice noodles are an everyday Yunnan noodle format: rice noodles cooked with broth, meat, pickled vegetables, herbs, and optional chile.
Why this dish works
The dish is a useful counterpoint to crossing-the-bridge noodles. Instead of assembling separate ingredients into a ceremonial bowl, everything is cooked together quickly in a small pot.
Recipe at a glance
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Serves | 2 |
| Time | 35 minutes |
| Core technique | Small-pot noodle simmering |
| Heat level | Mild to medium |
| Best with | Mushrooms or a simple cucumber salad |
Ingredients
- 8 oz rice noodles
- 4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
- 4 oz ground pork, chicken, or mushrooms
- 1/3 cup chopped pickled mustard greens or other pickled vegetable
- 1 teaspoon minced ginger
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon Shaoxing wine
- 1 cup chopped greens
- Scallions, cilantro, and mint to finish
- Chile oil or fresh chiles to taste
- Salt and white pepper
Method
- Prepare rice noodles until just pliable. Drain and set aside.
- In a small pot, cook pork or mushrooms with ginger and garlic until aromatic.
- Add pickled vegetables and stir for 1 minute.
- Add stock, soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, salt, and white pepper. Bring to a simmer.
- Add noodles and greens. Simmer until noodles are tender and the greens are just cooked.
- Finish with scallions, cilantro, mint, and chile oil if desired.
- Serve immediately while the noodles still have texture.
Variations and substitutions
- Use tofu and mushrooms for a meatless bowl.
- Add tomato for a brighter broth.
- Add a spoonful of chile oil for more heat.
- Use leftover chicken or thinly sliced beef instead of ground pork.