Suan cai soup with pork Recipe
Suan cai is Chinese fermented cabbage, a cousin of our pickled cucumbers and sauerkraut. In northern China this soup is a typical winter dish: it warms you up, is slightly sour and very filling. In this version we use homemade fermented napa cabbage or regular Polish sauerkraut – the result is surprisingly similar, and the flavor pleasantly combines familiar notes with something completely new.
This soup brings together the comforting, familiar sourness of sauerkraut with the warming, aromatic style of northern Chinese home cooking. It’s simple to make, deeply flavorful, and a great way to use fermented cabbage in a completely new context.
Chef's tips
Don’t rinse the fermented cabbage unless it’s extremely salty – the brine carries a lot of flavor. Adjust the amount of sugar carefully: you want to round out the sourness, not make the soup sweet. Thinly sliced meat cooks quickly and stays tender, so don’t cut it into thick chunks.
How to serve
Serve the soup as a main dish on a cold day, with a bowl of steamed jasmine rice on the side. For a more Polish-style serving, offer it with rye bread or another rustic, crusty loaf. A little extra chili oil or freshly ground white pepper on the table lets everyone adjust the heat to their taste.
Ingredients
- fermented cabbage (napa cabbage or sauerkraut) lightly squeezed to remove excess brine - 300 g
- pork shoulder or pork neck cut into thin strips - 300 g
- chicken or vegetable stock homemade or from a good-quality stock cube - 1.2 l
- fresh ginger cut into thin slices - 15 g
- garlic lightly crushed - 3 cloves
- soy sauce - 1.5 tablespoons
- oil e.g. rapeseed oil - 1 tablespoon
- sugar balances the sourness - 0.5 teaspoons
- ground white pepper optional - 0.25 teaspoons
- firm tofu cut into cubes; optional - 150 g
- chives chopped, for serving - 2 tablespoons
Preparation
- Lightly squeeze the fermented cabbage to remove excess brine and chop it into smaller pieces so it’s easy to eat.
- Heat the oil in a pot over medium heat. Add the ginger slices and crushed garlic cloves. Fry for 1–2 minutes, stirring, until they become very fragrant but do not brown.
- Add the pork strips. Fry for 4–5 minutes, stirring, until the meat is no longer pink on the outside.
- Add the chopped fermented cabbage, stir and fry for another 3–4 minutes so it warms through and combines with the meat.
- Pour in the stock, add the soy sauce and sugar. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and cook covered for about 20 minutes, until the meat is tender.
- If using tofu, add it to the soup for the last 5 minutes of cooking so it heats through without falling apart.
- Finally, season the soup with white pepper and a little salt if needed (remember that the cabbage and soy sauce are salty).
- Serve hot, sprinkled with chopped chives. The soup should be slightly sour, warming and very aromatic.
Storage
Zupa z kiszoną kapustą dobrze się przechowuje, a nawet zyskuje na smaku następnego dnia. Po ostudzeniu przechowuj w lodówce do 3 dni lub zamroź do 2 miesięcy. Podgrzewaj powoli w garnku na małym ogniu, mieszając od czasu do czasu.
