The trick to making the perfect soup, fragrant curry or silky sauce is to create a flavorful broth. By taking your time to build your base, you’ll be able to build flavour with ease, resulting in a meal that packs a punch.

Hot & sour pork broth

Serves 10-12  

Add protein by stirring through butterbeans or chickpeas.  

Ingredients

3 cloves garlic, sliced 
2cm piece fresh ginger, peeled and chopped 
3 dried chillies, deseeded 
2 Tbsp chopped fresh coriander 
1/2 tsp salt 8 thick-cut pork rashers 
2 tsp smoked paprika 
1 tsp ground cumin 
1 Tbsp brown sugar 
Salt and milled pepper 
Canola oil, for frying 
1/2 batch (1L) basic meaty broth 
1/4 cup soy sauce 
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar 
3 Tbsp honey 
Handful fresh coriander 
1 red chilli, halved 
1 lime, juiced 
2 handfuls baby spinach  

Method

1. In a pestle and mortar, grind together garlic, ginger, chilli, coriander and salt into a chunky, thick paste. Set aside. 
2. Chop half the pork into chunks. 
3. Combine paprika, cumin and brown sugar and coat pork chunks with mixture. Season. 
4. Heat oil in a pot and fry spiced pork for about 6-8 minutes or until well browned. Set aside.
5. Add another glug of oil and fry garlic paste for about 2-3 minutes or until fragrant. 
6. Add remaining raw pork and broth to the pot. Stir through soy sauce, vinegar, honey, coriander and chilli. 
7. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer gently, partially covered for about 15-20 minutes. Skim regularly. 
8. Remove pork, shred with a fork and return to pot. Add a squeeze of lime, season and stir through spinach. 
9. Ladle broth into bowls, add crispy pork chunks and serve.

Recipe and styling: Gail Damon
Photographs: Zhann Solomon