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This 20 MINUTE SCALLION NOODLE SOUP is an easy noodle meal with a tasty pork topping in a rich, peanut butter scallion soup that will have you slurping away in 20 minutes. It is basically an amalgamation of my dad’s scallion soup noodles and Dan Dan Mein. Or, two of my favourite noodle dishes in one!  And it’s all done in one pot.

On one hand, it has tons of scallions incorporated in two different ways. The scallion whites are cooked in the broth for the aroma and deeper flavour that you get from cooking them, while the scallion greens are used in a scallion oil topping that retains its fresh bite.

On the other hand, we have the Dan Dan Mein influences of peanut butter (or sesame paste) in the broth and everything topped with a ground pork topping (ok I call it a topping but I actually leave it all in the pot with the soup to avoid any additional dishes but you can scoop it out and spoon it on top of noodles when serving). Add a handful of quick cooking leafy greens in the noodle-cooking step and this whole meal takes only about 20 minutes to make using only one pot! Easy and well-loved by my family. No wonder I make this so often.

This 20 MINUTE SCALLION NOODLE SOUP makes an excellent weeknight meal or weekend lunch. Hope you try it and if you love it, let me know in the comments below or reach out on social: saltnpepperhere on Instagram and sonia.saltnpepperhere on Tiktok!

Eat well and be well,

Sonia x

RECIPE HEAD NOTES - 20 Minute Scallion Noodle Soup:

1. What is Shaoxing wine?

Shaoxing wine a rice-based cooking wine famously from Shaoxing, China but there are also versions of it from outside Shaoxing. I often use a Taiwanese version with a slightly different name called “Taiwan Shaohsing Wine” but I will still refer to the ingredient as “Shaoxing wine” in recipes. Shaoxing wine is a clear, medium brown liquid that is aromatic, slightly sweet and fragrant. It is used in Chinese cooking to add a nuanced and complex flavour, in a similar way red wine or white wine is used in Western cooking. If you can’t find Shaoxing wine, it can be substituted with dry cooking sherry or simply omit it from the marinade.

2. What is Chinese Sesame Paste?

Chinese style sesame paste is a thick paste made from toasted white sesame seeds. It is often compared to tahini but Chinese Sesame Paste is darker and richer in flavour because the sesame seeds are deeply toasted. However, it is usually mixed with soybean oil or other oil and sometimes additives. Although Chinese Sesame Paste and Tahini are different, you can substitute with tahini or peanut butter in this recipe. To be honest, I actually love using all natural smooth peanut butter in this recipe even more than Chinese sesame paste or tahini.

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20 Minute Scallion Noodle Soup 葱油湯面

Serves 4.

INGREDIENTS

For the marinated pork:

½ lb ground pork (or other ground meat of choice)

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp Shaoxing wine – note 1

½ tsp dark soy sauce

½ tsp kosher salt, more or less to taste

3 dashes white pepper powder

For the soup:

2 bunches scallions, thinly sliced, white parts and green parts separated

¼ C smooth peanut butter or Chinese sesame paste – note 2

2 C hot water

2 tbsp soy sauce

2 tsp dark soy sauce

4 C chicken broth

Salt to taste, amount depending on sodium content in chicken broth used above

High heat oil for cooking (I use avocado oil)

For the scallion oil topping:

 Reserved chopped scallion greens from above (about 1 heaped cup)

 ¼ C high heat oil

 ½ tsp kosher salt

 ½ tsp soy sauce

 Drizzle of toasted sesame oil

For the noodles and serving:

4 servings of noodles of choice, such as 1½ lb fresh Chinese egg noodles or 1 lb dry Asian wheat noodles

Handful of quick-cooking leafy green vegetable such as baby choy sum, baby gai lan, baby bok choy, etc.

Chinese chili oil to serve

METHOD

Marinade the meat: Mix ground pork with marinade ingredients. Set aside while preparing and measuring remaining ingredients.

Cook noodles and leafy greens: I use a deep sauté pan for every step to make this a one-pot recipe. Fill with water and bring to a boil. Cook noodles according to package directions and, depending on type of leafy greens and how long they cook to tender, add them into the pot with the noodles to cook concurrently to save time. Drain and rinse noodles briefly to rid excess starch. Divide noodles and blanched greens among four serving bowls. Rinse pot and return to the stove.

Make the scallion oil topping: Place chopped scallion green parts into a bowl. Pour ¼ cup of high heat oil in the pot over medium to medium-high heat. While oil heats up, add the salt, sesame oil and soy sauce to bowl of scallions. Once oil reaches about 350f or when surface is shimmering and a dry wooden utensil inserted in the center creates bubbles rising rapidly up its sides, pour over the scallion greens. Use a spoon to mix everything well. Set aside to wilt.

Make soup base: In a bowl, add peanut butter (or sesame paste) and about ½ cup of the hot water and whisk until smooth. Add soy sauce and dark soy sauce. Set aside.

Sauté scallion whites and pork: Place pot back on stove over medium-high heat (no need to rinse or clean it). Once hot, add a drizzle of oil and scallion white parts. Sauté until softened and fragrant, about 20 seconds. Add ground pork, breaking it up into small pieces with a spatula. Once meat is cooked through, add soup base, the chicken stock and remaining 1½ cup of water. Cover and bring to a boil. Taste and do a final seasoning with salt and/or soy sauce as needed depending on sodium content of the broth used.

Finish and serve: Ladle hot broth over each portion of noodles. Top with pork, scallion oil topping and Chinese chili oil to taste. Enjoy!