Heavenly Pork and Noodle Soup

Heavenly Pork and Noodle Soup

serves 6

(China)

We first tasted this soup in  an Asian restaurant in Southern California, the restaurant had a different name for it but when my wife took her first taste she pronounced it "heavenly".  We developed this recipe from the restaurant's description of the dish.  Do not substitute anise for the star anise, the result will be disappointing.  As an alternative, if you don't have a slow cooking you can use a large pot adjusting the time appropriately.

                                                                                Prep time: 20 minutes

Cook time: 3 hours 30  minutes

Total time: 3 hours  50 minutes

Ingredients

3 pounds boneless pork shoulder

3 cups chicken broth

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup dry sherry

3 tablespoons packed light brown sugar

4 cloves fresh garlic,  peeled and micro-planed

1 2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and micro-planed

2 pieces star anise*

1 head bok choy cabbage, roughly chopped

3 1/2 ounces dried rice vermicelli noodles

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Preparation

1.  Combine the chicken broth, soy sauce, sherry, brown sugar, garlic, ginger, star anise in a large pot over high heat.  Bring the liquid to a rolling boil.

2.  Place the pork shoulder to a 5-to-6-quart slow cooker.   Carefully pour the  boiling broth over the pork, cover and cook on high for 3 hours.

3.  Remove the pork from the slow cooker and roughly shred the it. 

4.  Return the shredded pork to the broth and add the bok choy; cover and cook for an additional 20 minutes.

5.  Break the noodles in half and place them in a deep dish or mixing bowl and pour about 4 cups of boiling water over them.  Allow the  noodles to sit in the water until they are al dente, about 10 minutes.

6.  Divide the cooked noodles among six soup bowls and ladle the desired amount of soup over the noodles, sprinkle with some of the cilantro and serve immediately accompanied by chop sticks, soup spoons, and additional cilantro.

* do not substitute