Vietnamese Pork-and-Noodle Soup

By Thom7747

In many Asian cultures, long noodles symbolize long life. And in the spirit of that tradition, we've left the pasta whole here, to be eaten with chopsticks or even a fork. Of course, if you're feeling reckless, you can go ahead and break the noodles into smaller pieces before cooking them.

Ingredients

• 1/4 pound linguine
• 1 1/2 tablespoons cooking oil
• 3/4 pound pork tenderloin, cut into 1½ by ½ by ½ inch strips
• 6 scallions, including green tops, chopped
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, chopped
• 2 tomatoes, chopped
• 3 tablespoons fish sauce, Nuoc Mam
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups water
• 1 quart canned low-sodium chicken broth, or homemade stock
• 1/4 pound bean sprouts
• 2 tablespoons lime juice, plus lime wedges for serving
• 1 cucumber, peeled, halved lengthwise, seeded, and cut crosswise into thin slices
• 1 cup mint, basil, or cilantro leaves, or a combination

Details

Servings 4

Preparation

Step 1

In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the linguine until just done, about 12 minutes.
1. Drain the pasta.
2. Rinse with cold water and drain thoroughly.

Meanwhile...
1. In another large pot, heat the oil over moderate heat.
2. Add the pork, scallions, and ginger and cook, stirring occasionally, for 2 minutes.
3. Add the tomatoes, fish sauce, salt, water, and broth.
4. Bring to a boil.
5. Reduce the heat and simmer until the pork is just done, about 10 minutes.

Stir the cooked linguine, bean sprouts, and lime juice into the soup.

Ladle into bowls, top each serving with some of the cucumber and herbs, and serve with the lime wedges.