Houttuynia cordata is one of the most popular herbs to be used in Vietnamese cuisine. Furthermore, it is used as an ingredient in one of the most legendary of Vietnamese dishes, Hoi An Noodles or Cao lầu. Originating from the town of Hoi An, in the Quang Nam Province of central Vietnam, this dish is made with noodles, pork, and local greens, including Houttuynia cordata and can only be found in this town because it uses water drawn from ancient Cham wells hidden around Hoi An and Quang Nam Province.
Hoi An noodles is a wonderful dish so we wanted to share the recipe with you.
Ingredients
500g pork loin
½ tsp Chinese five-spice seasoning
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper
1 tbsp garlic, crushed
2 tsp sugar
Vegetable oil for frying
1 stick lemongrass
2 cups pork or chicken stock
3 tbsp soy sauce
200g bean sprouts
500g thick Chinese wheat noodles
100g mixed herbs: basil, coriander, mustard sprouts and Houttuynia cordata leaves
½ cup of croutons
½ cup spring onion cut into long lengths
4 sliced mild red and yellow chillis
Extra sugar
Directions
1. Mix together the five spice, 2 tsp sugar, garlic, salt and pepper, marinate the pork in the mixture and set aside.
2. Add some oil to a pan on a medium heat, add the lemongrass and cook until the fragrance is released.
2. Add the pork to the pan and sear on all sides.
3. Add the soy sauce and a little more sugar and allow to caramelise, roll the pork loin in the caramelised sauce until completely coated.
4. Add half the stock to the pan and simmer until the pork is just cooked through. Remove the pork and allow to rest.
5. Add the remaining stock to the pan, and a teaspoon of sugar, bring to the boil, remove from the heat and set aside.
5. Add the sprouts to a boiling pot of water for 30 seconds, and then add the noodles to the same pot, cook until noodles are soft.
6. Place the noodles into 4 bowls, add the croutons and herbs, add a few slices of the pork loin – thinly sliced to each bowl. Garnish with chilli and 2 spoonfuls of the pork stock sauce.
Houttuynia Cordata is known to have a number of medicinal uses, to read more about them please visit http://www.dokudamihealing.com
For more information about “Houttuynia Cordata”, please call Khun Jan on +66 (0) 81-205-0575
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