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Sharing a signature Sichuan dish Suan La Fen - a bowl of tender springy potato noodles smothered in a rich savory hot and sour soup topped with crispy pork and peanuts. It’s quite easy to put together and addictive to eat! {Vegetarian / Vegan Adaptable, Gluten-Free Adaptable}

Suan La Fen (Hot and Sour Noodle Soup, 酸辣粉)

5 from 6 votes
Sharing a signature Sichuan dish Suan La Fen - a bowl of hot and sour noodle soup that features tender springy potato noodles smothered in a rich and savory broth. It’s quite easy to put together and addictive to eat! {Vegetarian / Vegan Adaptable, Gluten-Free Adaptable}
To make the dish gluten-free, use dry sherry instead of Shaoxing wine. Use tamari to replace light and dark soy sauce.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Course: Soup
Cuisine: Chinese
Keyword: street food
Servings: 1 to 2 servings
Author: Maggie Zhu

Ingredients

Meat topping (Optional)

  • 1 teaspoon peanut oil
  • 4 oz (125 g) ground pork
  • 2 teaspoons Shaoxing wine (or dry sherry)
  • 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce (use 2 teaspoons if not using Sui Mi Ya Cai)
  • 2 teaspoons Sui Mi Ya Cai (Optional) (Footnote 1)

Broth (Divide the ingredients below, Footnote 2)

Noodles

  • 7 oz (200 g) fresh sweet potato noodles (or 4 oz./ 120 g dried sweet potato noodles)

Other toppings

  • Roasted peanuts (*Footnote 4)
  • Chopped cilantro (or green onions)
  • Pickled mustard tube (or other Chinese pickles) (Optional)

Instructions

Prepare the meat toppings

  • Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add the pork and spread it out. Let cook until the bottom is browned. Break apart the pork and flip to cook the other side until just cooked through.
  • Pour in the Shaoxing wine, soy sauce and add the Sui Mi Ya Cai, if using. Stir and cook until the sauce is fully absorbed and mixed well. Transfer the pork to a plate and set aside.

Make the broth

  • Divide all the ingredients evenly (except the chicken broth) and add them into two medium-sized bowls. Or add everything into one big bowl. (*Footnote 2)
  • Add the chicken broth to a small saucepan and bring to a full boil over medium-high heat. When the broth comes to a boil, turn to low heat to keep the broth hot.

Prepare the noodles

  • While heating up the broth, prepare the noodles according to the package instructions. Boil the noodles until al dente, then rinse a few times with cold tap water to stop cooking. Drain and set aside.

Assemble

  • When everything is ready and you’re ready to serve, pour 1 cup of the broth into each bowl with all the broth ingredients.
  • Divide and transfer the noodles into the bowls with the broth. Add the pork topping if using. Garnish with roasted peanuts, chopped cilantro or green onions, and pickled mustard tube. Serve hot.

Notes

  1. Sui Mi Ya Cai is chopped pickled mustard greens that have a fermented savory sweet taste. It’s a main ingredient in Dan Dan noodles. If you have some on hand, use it in this recipe to add flavor. It’s totally OK to skip it here.
  2. Traditionally, the noodle soup is prepared by adding each ingredient / seasoning to each bowl, then pouring the hot soup over, so each bowl is properly seasoned. If dividing the measurements is too confusing, hover your cursor over the serving number and adjust the slider to 1 serving. This way you get the proper amount of seasoning used in each bowl. If you prefer a large bowl of noodle soup, you can also make two servings in one big bowl.
  3. If you want to make this dish vegetarian / vegan, you can use boiling water, or boiling water with whatever bouillon you prefer. My personal favorites are Lee Kum Kee mushroom powder and Better than Bouillon Mushroom Base. Both are very savory and less sweet than most Western-style vegetable broths / bouillons.
  4. You can use packaged roasted peanuts directly. It helps a lot if you gently heat up the peanuts in a pan or in the oven so they crisp up a bit more. If using skin-on raw peanuts, soak the peanuts in water for 5 minutes, then drain and pat dry. Add the peanuts and 1 tablespoon peanut oil into a skillet. Heat over medium-low heat and stir constantly until the peanuts no longer make sparkling sounds and the skin has turned darker. Pour in 1 teaspoon of Shaoxing wine and mix a few times so the wine evaporates. Transfer the peanuts to a plate to drain and cool off.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving, Calories: 452kcal, Carbohydrates: 52.9g, Protein: 16.2g, Fat: 18.7g, Saturated Fat: 3.1g, Cholesterol: 21mg, Sodium: 2193mg, Potassium: 431mg, Fiber: 0.6g, Sugar: 13.8g, Calcium: 52mg, Iron: 3mg