This seafood and pork noodle soup is a very easy recipe that will deliver on flavour and most importantly… comfort. Can be made in under 20 minutes which is perfect for anyone wanting something delicious without any effort.
Today’s dish is an invention of mine that is the result of fusing an old recipe together with a little bit of laziness. The main inspiration is the Vietnamese noodle soup called ‘banh canh,’ which is made with tapioca noodles, pork hock and crab. I then combined this with pork mince, stock and preserved radish for a burst of flavour.
What Goes Into Seafood and Pork Noodle Soup
- Noodles – either tapioca or udon noodles*.
- Seafood – prawns and fishcakes/balls.
- Pork mince
- Soup flavouring – pork stock, sweet preserved radish*, onion, fish sauce, fried shallots.
- Garnish – fried shallots, lemon. Do not skip!
* Tapioca starch noodles (banh canh) are cheaper than udon noodles but are generally only available at Asian groceries.
** Sweet preserved radish can be purchased from Asian groceries, and is worth hunting down. It is full of flavour and will really elevate this dish.
How to Make Seafood and Pork Noodle Soup
Seafood and Pork Noodle Soup Instructions (Summary)
- Put soup ingredients into a pot, bring to a boil.
- Clean the pork mince, add to pot.
- Prepare noodles, divide into soup bowls.
- Add seafood to pot, cook until done.
- Season.
- Ladle soup over noodles.
Preparing the Noodles
- Udon noodles – cook them in a separate pot. This will prevent the soup from going cloudy.
- Tapioca noodles – blanch them in boiling water to loosen them up and wash away unwanted flavours / excess oils.
Cleaning the Pork Mince
Cleaning the pork mince before adding to the main pot will help keep the broth clear. To clean:
- Place mince in a large bowl and cover with boiling water.
- Break up the mince using a spoon. This will release the scum from the meat.
- Pour the water out, then repeat.
Storing Leftover Seafood and Pork Noodle Soup
Store the soup and noodles separately in the fridge. This will prevent the noodles from soaking up all the soup.
Lastly, I need to get something off my chest. From the picture below, do you know someone who eats their prawns like the one on the left? The one that basically looks like a full prawn??? I do. I won’t mention any names but she’s a splitting image of my wife…
If you are like me and this gets you a little upset inside, then join me in calling it out! We must stay vigilant and true to our cause to stop prawn wastage… even if the culprit is your wife or husband!
Recipe Costs
This table shows how much this recipe will cost if you had to go out and buy everything on the ingredients list (“Shop Price”), as well as the value of ingredients actually used in the recipe (“Recipe Cost”).
We haven’t included optional ingredients or small quantities of salt, pepper or sugar as the cost would be negligible. All prices are in Australian dollars and are based off what was published on Coles Online or Woolworths Online as at time of writing.
2 Servings
| Ingredient | Quantity Bought | Shop Price | Recipe Needs | Recipe Cost |
| Chicken Stock | 1 L | $1.90 | 1 L | $1.90 |
| Pork Mince | 500 gm | $5.50 | 150 gm | $1.10 |
| Preserved Radish | 400 gm | $4.00 | 10 gm | $0.10 |
| Fried Shallots | 100 gm pack | $2.75 | 15 gm | $0.41 |
| Fish Sauce | 300 ml bottle | $2.00 | 1 tbsp | $0.10 |
| Udon Noodles | 3 x 200 gm packs | $4.20 | 500 gm | $3.50 |
| Prawns (frozen) | 500 gm pack | $17.60 | 6 (70 gm) | $2.46 |
| Lemon | 1 | $0.75 | 1/4 | $0.19 |
| Spring Onions | 1 bunch | $2.00 | 1 stalk | $0.10 |
| Total | $40.70 | $9.86 |
You’ll Also Love…
- Top 5 Ways to Lift Your Homemade Noodle Soup Game
- Vietnamese Pork and Thick Noodle Soup (Banh Canh)
- Red Curry Chicken Noodle Soup
- Chicken and Mushroom Glass Noodle Soup
- Quick Beef Pho
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Scruff
Seafood and Pork Noodle Soup
Ingredients
- 500 gm tapioca or udon noodles (available at Asian groceries)
- 6 raw medium prawns, peeled
- 4 fish balls or cakes, cut in half (optional and available at Asian groceries)
- 1.5 tbsp fish sauce
- 200 gm pork mince
- 1 L boiling water
Soup
- 1.5 L boiling water
- ½ brown onion
- 2 tsp pork stock powder (I use Knorr brand which is available at Asian groceries)
- 10 gm sweet preserved radish (available at Asian groceries)
- 1 tbsp fried shallots
- 1 pinch salt
- pepper, to taste
Garnish
- 2 tbsp fried shallots (store bought)
- 1/2 lemon, cut into wedges
- 1 stalk spring onion, finely chopped
- 5 sprigs coriander, finely chopped (optional)
- 1 chilli, finely chopped (optional)
- freshly cracked pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Measure and prep all of your ingredients.
- In a medium sized pot, add all the soup ingredients. Turn the heat up to medium high and allow the pot to come to the boil.
- Add the pork mince into a large bowl and massage it with your fingers. Pour boiling water over the meat until it is completely covered. Use a spoon to break up the meat and release the scum from the mince. Carefully, pour the liquid out and repeat.
- Add the pork mince to the pot and bring the soup back to the boil. Cook for 2 minutes and scoop up any scum that build up on the edge of the pot.
- Prepare the noodles as per packaging. Once done, divide them into bowls. (Note 1)
- Add the prawns and fish cakes. Cook for 1 – 2 minutes.
- Add the fish sauce and check the seasoning of your soup. Adjust according to your taste. (Note 2)
To Serve
- Ladle the soup over the noodles.
- Garnish with spring onions, coriander, chilli and fried shallots.
- Serve with a wedge of lemon.
Notes
- If using udon noodles, then cook them in a separate pot with plenty of boiling water for 2 -3 minutes or until done. Strain the noodles and leave aside until needed. If using tapioca noodles, put them in a large bowl and pour boiling water over them until completely submersed. Leave for 2 minutes and then slowly loosen the noodles with tongs or chopsticks. Strain and cook the noodles in the pot for roughly 2-3 minutes.
- If you want more saltiness and flavour then add fish sauce. Otherwise, just add salt.
To avoid the problem of wasted prawn meat, I eat everything including the shell of the tail of cooked prawns. It’s a good source for calcium and I like the mouthfeel. You’ll never waste a prawn again. Don’t get me started on the waste of time it is to remove the alimentary canal. I eat everything.
Hi Gary! Mate, you are seriously a “no fuss” kinda person! I am with you. Most of the time I am too lazy to peel or devein. I will only do it if we have guests but other than it all goes down the hatchet. Thanks for leaving a comment Gaz!
Haha, if I was cooking for someone else I make a point of leaving the alimentary tract intact 🤣😂
Lol. That’s funny… because I was just thinking that you would do something like that!
I like to be predictable 🤣
Thank you! This is what I need in my life!
Haha Stella! We all need more noodles in our life. Thanks for leaving a comment!
I saw shrimp and immediately got a piece of paper to copy the recipe. Thanks!
Your welcome Leif! Thanks for dropping by.
Hi Scruff,
Can you please share which brand preserved radish you use? Are they sold in a jar or bag?
Thank you.