This soup puts ground pork and egg tofu into a light, savory broth with vermicelli, carrot, lettuce, and seaweed — ready in 40 minutes and built almost entirely from pantry staples. It serves eight, which makes it one of the more economical weeknight soups you can put together. The pork marinates before it hits the pot, which is the one step that separates a flat broth from one that actually tastes like something.
Why this recipe works
Two things carry this recipe. First, marinating the ground pork before cooking — oyster sauce, soy sauce, sugar, and black pepper — seasons the meat all the way through rather than just the surface. When the pork goes into the boiling broth, those flavors dissolve into the liquid and build the base of the soup without needing a long simmer. Second, the heat gets turned down to medium once the tofu and vegetables go in. Egg tofu is fragile; a hard boil breaks it apart into ragged chunks. Keeping things at a gentle simmer from that point on means the tofu holds its shape and the lettuce stays just wilted rather than gray and limp. The seaweed goes in off the heat entirely — five minutes of residual warmth is all it needs, and it stays tender rather than turning slimy.
If something goes sideways
- Broth tastes thin or flat: Two chicken stock cubes in seven cups of water can vary a lot by brand. Taste before serving and add a small splash of soy sauce or a half teaspoon of fish sauce if you have it — both fix a watery broth faster than more salt alone.
- Pork clumps into one big mass: Ground pork needs to be broken up as soon as it hits the boiling water. Use a spoon or chopstick to separate it into small pieces right away; once it sets, it stays in whatever shape it landed.
- Vermicelli turns to mush: Dried vermicelli keeps cooking in the hot broth even after the heat is off. If you are not serving immediately, cook the noodles separately in plain boiling water, drain them, and add a portion to each bowl at serving time.
- No egg tofu available: Regular firm tofu works — cut it into similar one-centimetre slices and handle it gently. It will be slightly less creamy but absorbs the broth just as well. Silken tofu is too soft and will fall apart.
- No wakame seaweed on hand: Skip it entirely rather than substituting something that changes the flavor profile. The soup is complete without it — skip the garnish, not worth the extra dish.
Storage and reheating
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days. Keep the noodles separate if possible — they absorb broth overnight and turn soft. Reheat on the stovetop over medium-low heat until the broth reaches a steady simmer; avoid boiling, which will break up the tofu further. The pork is fully cooked and safe once it has reached an internal temperature of 160°F (71°C) during the initial cook, so reheating just needs to bring everything back to serving temperature. This soup does not freeze well — the tofu texture turns grainy and the vermicelli goes mushy after thawing.
Delicious Pork Mince and Tofu Vegetable Thai Soup
Ingredients
400 grams ground pork (minced pork)
3 medium tofu - egg- 1 package vermicelli
2 cube chicken stock (chicken broth or chicken bouillon)
7 cups water
4 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoon brown sugar
8 sprigs spring onions
8 sprigs cilantro (coriander)
4 tablespoons oyster sauce - to marinate pork mince- 4 teaspoons soy sauce - to marinate pork mince
2 teaspoons sugar (white sugar) - to marinate pork mince
2 teaspoons ground black pepper - to marinate pork mince- 2 handfuls lettuce
2 medium carrots- 1 package seaweed - Japanese
Instructions
- Put pork mince and mix it with seasoning. Marinate it for at least 15 minutes.
- Clean spring onion and coriander. Then cut spring onion only about 3 inches from the route into one inch apiece, coriander cut only 2 inches from the route each for half an inch.
- Cut egg tofu about one centimetre for each thickness.
- Clean lettuce and cut it for a mouthpiece. Clean carrot put it in the flower press; each thickness would be half a centimetre.
- Put water and chicken stock cubes in the pot, heat until it boils.
- Add marinated pork mince into boiling water.
- Wait until it boils again. Then add egg tofu, cut lettuce, and carrot.
- Turn the heat to medium level. Add soy sauce, brown sugar, chopped spring onion, vermicelli, and coriander.
- Wait until it boils and turn off the heat. Add Wakami and wait about 5 minutes before serving.
Nutrition
Your questions, answered
Can I use regular ground pork from the supermarket, or does it need to be a specific fat content?
Standard supermarket ground pork works fine. A slightly higher fat content actually helps here — the fat carries the marinade flavors into the broth, and the soup is light enough that a little extra richness is welcome rather than heavy.
What can I use instead of oyster sauce in the marinade?
Hoisin sauce is the closest swap — use the same amount. If you have neither, add an extra tablespoon of soy sauce plus a small pinch of sugar; the flavor will be less complex but the marinade will still do its job of seasoning the meat.
Can I swap the chicken stock cubes for liquid stock or a different broth?
Yes — use about two cups of liquid chicken stock and reduce the water to five cups to keep the same total volume. Vegetable stock also works and keeps the soup lighter; just taste and adjust the soy sauce since vegetable stocks vary in saltiness.
Is the pork safe to eat once it’s added to the boiling water and the soup finishes cooking?
Yes, as long as the pork is fully cooked through with no pink remaining — ground pork needs to reach 160°F (71°C) internally. Adding it to actively boiling water and waiting for the pot to return to a boil before adding the other ingredients achieves this reliably.
Can I leave out the vermicelli to make it lower-carb, or do I need to replace it with something?
You can leave it out entirely — the soup is filling enough with the pork, tofu, and vegetables. If you want something in its place, a small amount of thinly sliced zucchini or extra carrot added with the other vegetables works without changing the broth.
More mince recipes to try
- Savory Pork Noodle Stir-Fry
- Authentic Szechuan Dan Dan
- Hearty Beef Kale Soup
- Japanese Pork Lettuce Cups
