No-Stock Rice Vermicelli Soup: Fast & Fragrant

Steps

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1. 1
   Cook the ground pork over low heat, but watch closely since the pan stays quite hot — fry it just until it reaches the right color, not too dark or it will taste bitter.
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2. 2
   Let the moisture inside the pork cook out until it turns into rendered fat — that's the ideal state. Skim off the foam; this liquid becomes your soup base.
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3. 3
   Pour out the soup base, then reheat the pan with some oil and add the cooked pork back in.
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4. 4
   Season with soy sauce and oyster sauce to bring back the pork's savory sweetness — this becomes your meat sauce (rou zao), which you can make in a larger batch to keep on hand.
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5. 5
   Add about 3 drops of fish sauce to the soup base for extra flavor.
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6. 6
   Add the pre-soaked rice noodles and simmer for about 2 minutes — don't overcook, since overly soft noodles lose their nice bite.
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7. 7
   Once the rice noodle soup is done, add garlic chives or cilantro if you like extra variation, or simply enjoy it plain.
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