How to Make Sour Soup with Ground Pork
Sour soup with ground pork cooked with pineapple, tomatoes, dracontomelon, and bean sprouts is a refreshing and delicious soup for hot summer days.
Ingredients
- 250g ground pork
- 3 tomatoes ~ 260g
- 1/2 pineapple ~ 200g
- 100g bean sprouts
- 4 dracontomelons
- Green onions, culantro
- 2-3 shallots
- Seasonings: fish sauce, MSG, salt, seasoning powder
Ingredient Notes
To make this sour soup with a delicate tangy flavor, you can use tomatoes, pineapple, dracontomelon, or replace them with tamarind, fermented rice, or water mimosa.
Dracontomelon, pineapple, and tomatoes provide the distinct sour flavor for the soup.
It's best to use pork shoulder with a bit of fat for the ground pork to give the soup a richer flavor. Avoid grinding or chopping the meat too finely, as it can become dry during cooking.
Instructions
Preparing the Ingredients
Marinate the ground pork with 1/2 teaspoon of seasoning powder and 1/2 tablespoon of fish sauce. Mix well and let it sit for about 15-20 minutes.
Wash the tomatoes. Dice half of them to soften and add color to the soup, while cutting the remaining half into wedges.
Add the tomato wedges toward the end of cooking to retain their shape and provide a fresh flavor to the soup.
Peel the pineapple, remove the eyes, and cut it in half. Use half of the pineapple, removing the core, and slice it into bite-sized triangular pieces.
Wash the dracontomelons, leaving the skin on or peeling it as you prefer. Score the surface slightly so the fruit softens while cooking without needing to mash it.
Soak and rinse the bean sprouts in salted water, then drain well.
Peel and finely slice or chop the shallots.
Pick and wash the green onions and culantro. Roughly chop them, leaving the white parts of the onions in longer pieces, about 2-3 cm in length.
Cooking the Sour Soup with Ground Pork
Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a pot and fry the shallots until fragrant. Once the shallots are golden and aromatic, add the diced tomatoes and pineapple. Stir-fry over medium heat until the tomatoes and pineapple soften and become mushy.
Continue stir-frying until the pork is cooked, no longer pink, and starts to firm up. Then add water to make the soup. For a serving size of 4, use about 1.5 liters of water. Adjust the water quantity based on your preference and the number of servings.
Initially, bring the soup to a boil over high heat, then lower the heat and add the dracontomelons. Cook for another 2-3 minutes to allow the tomatoes, pineapple, and dracontomelons to release their sour flavor.
Add the tomato wedges. Season the soup to taste with salt, seasoning powder, MSG, and fish sauce. For a subtle sweetness that balances the sourness of the dracontomelons, tomatoes, and pineapple, you can add a pinch of sugar. Lastly, add the bean sprouts. When the soup comes to a boil again, add the green onions and culantro.
