Egg Noodle in Herbal and Abalone Soup 真的有鲍鱼汤面

My mother-in-law bought us the A1 Abalone Instant Noodle last week. Both my husband and I liked the taste of the soup, especially with the rather strong infusion of Chinese herbs. However,  we were somehow disappointed by the size of the 2 mini abalones in the packet - ultra small and ultra-thin.  Due to my illness, I rarely consume instant noodle (no more than twice a year). Instant noodle's really not for me. I was quite confident that i could replicate something close. I promised my husband that I would cook him a bowl of Egg Noodle in Herbal and Abalone Soup 真的有鲍鱼汤面 real soon.....

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Ingredients (enough for 2 pax) :

• 2 pcs of dried egg noodle (approx. 50 gm per pax)(soak in water till softened)
• 8 pcs of canned baby abalone 
• 1 cup of canned abalone juice (retained from the canned baby abalone)
• 4 pcs of pork ribs or loins (blanch in boiling water for 5 minutes to remove scum beforehand). Each piece about a half-fist size.
• 4 pcs Bei Qi (Radix Astragali) 北芪
• 4 pcs Dang Gui (Chinese Angelica Root) 当归
• 4 pcs Dang Shen (Codonopsis Root) 党参
• 2 pcs Huai Shan (Dried Chinese Yam) 淮山 
• 8 pcs of small dried scallops 干瑤柱
• 4 pcs Big Red Dates 大红枣
• 2 tsp Wolfberries 枸杞子 
• 2 tsp chicken stock powder 
• coriander/cilantro (for garnishing)
• 1.2 litre water (for soup)
• water to boil (to blanch noodle)

(tsp = teaspoon; tbsp = tablespoon)    

Tip : Do not use whole can of abalone juice. 1 cup is approximately 1/2 can of juice from canned baby abalone. Too much of it would result in fishy smell.

Method :

Add all ingredients into soup pot except noodle and water. Keep half portion of wolfberries for later use.

Add 1.2 litre water into soup pot.

Bring to boil at high heat. Turn to medium-low heat and continue to brew soup for another 2 to 3 hours. If you are using a pressure cooker like me, boil in 'low' mode at medium-low heat for 1.5 hour.

Fold in the other half portion of wolfberries 10 minutes before serve. 

When soup is ready, start boiling a separate pot of water. Blanch abalones in boiling water for 1 minute. Remove and set aside.

Blanch dried egg noodle in boiling water till softened and cooked.

Transfer noodle to serving bowls when cooked.

Assemble noodle, abalones, pork loins/ribs and soup. 

Garnish with coriander/cilantro and serve hot.  

The taste of this Egg Noodle in Herbal and Abalone Soup 真的有鲍鱼汤面 may not be 100% similar to the packet instant noodle, it still come close in taste and feel with the aromatic herbal soup. I could still smell the Dang Gui (Chinese Angelica Root) 当归 from far. If I have the time and efforts to spend, I would prefer this version - being the healthier choice.