Sweet and Sour Pork Soup with Vermicelli

Today, I would like to show you my personal cooking style. It is the way I normally cook without any particular recipe and just make things up as I go along. Of course, I will have an idea of what main ingredients I would use but the finish dish is usually sort of a surprise. It makes cooking flexible, fun and interesting without having to follow any rules. The only key to this is to taste, taste and taste as it progresses.

From one of these creative cooking sessions, this was one of the few creations that made it to this blog; the 'Sweet and Sour Pork Soup'. As the name suggests, the two prominent flavours will be sweet and sour. The sour element of this dish derives from the tamarind paste, tomatoes and lime juice. Whereas the onions and pork gives it that natural sweetness without having to add any sugar. 

I have enjoyed this for dinner last week and hope you do too. 

Sweet and Sour Pork Soup

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 450g pork cut into 3cm cubes or strips
• 1 tbs oil
• 1 onion (chopped)
• 1 inch ginger (sliced)
• 1.5 litre hot water
• 2 chicken bouillon
• 1 chilli (sliced)
• 4 cloves garlic (bruised)
• 2 tbs tamarind paste
• 6 tomatoes

• 1 lime
• coriander
• salt and pepper to taste
• vermicelli enough for 4 

Method:

1.  Sweat the chopped onions until translucent.
2.  Add the boiled water into the pot then the bruised garlic, ginger, chilli and chicken bouillon.
3.  Turn the heat down to medium-low and place the pork into pot.
4.  Let simmer for about 20 minutes then add in the tomatoes and tamarind paste.
5.  Let it cook for another 10 minutes.
6.  Squeeze the lime juice into the soup and season with salt and pepper to taste.
7.  Briefly toss the vermicelli in hot water then portion them into four bowls.
8.  Scoop soup over each bowl and garnish with coriander leaves.



p.s: I think this dish sounds like some Vietnamese food I've seen somewhere.