Thai Glass Noodle Soup (Gaeng Jued Woon Sen)
Warm up with a bowl of comforting Thai Glass Noodle Soup, or “Gaeng Jued Woon Sen.” The flavorful pork meatballs make this dish hearty and are perfect for meal prep, adding versatility to your weekly menu.
What is Thai Glass Noodle Made Of?
Thai glass noodles, also known as woon sen, are made from mung bean starch and water, giving them a springy, chewy texture when cooked. Some brands also include potato starch, which makes the noodles even clearer. These gluten-free noodles absorb flavors beautifully, making them perfect for soups, stir-fries, and salads.
How to Make a Quick Glass Noodle Soup
Steps to Make Quick Glass Noodle Soup
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- Soak the glass noodles (bean thread) in room temperature water for 10 minutes, then cut them into shorter lengths.
- Rehydrate shiitake mushrooms in hot water if you’re using them. They add great umami flavor to the soup.
- Chop and clean the Napa cabbage.
- Finely chop the green onion and cilantro.
Prepare the Pork Meatballs:
- In a bowl, combine ground pork, an egg, cornstarch, salt, pepper, soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, minced garlic, and half of the chopped green onion, cilantro, and bean thread.
- Mix well and form the mixture into small meatballs.
Cook the Soup:
- Bring chicken broth to a boil and add the pork meatballs and rehydrated shiitake mushrooms.
- Cook the meatballs for 10-15 minutes, then add the Napa cabbage and an additional bundle of soaked glass noodles if desired.
- Simmer for another 3–5 minutes, allowing the flavors to meld.
Adjust the Flavor:
- Taste the soup and adjust the seasoning with chicken bouillon if needed, adding only 1 teaspoon at a time to avoid over-salting.
Optional Topping:
- Garnish the soup with fried garlic for extra flavor.
Serve hot and enjoy this comforting, flavorful dish!
How to Store and Reheat Gaeng Jued Woon Sen
Store the soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2–3 days. The liquid may decrease significantly as the glass noodles absorb the broth during storage. To prevent this, avoid adding extra noodles to the soup if you plan to save leftovers. Instead, consider only mixing the noodles with the pork meatballs. If needed, you can always add a bit more broth or water when reheating the soup.
Related Recipe
If you have extra pork meatballs and want to switch things up, try cooking them in an air fryer or shallow frying them. This will give you crispy Asian-style meatballs that make a delicious snack or appetizer!
Thai Glass Noodle Soup (Gaeng Jued Woon Sen)
Equipment
- 1 mixing bowl
- 1 pot
Ingredients
- 2 bundles bean thread (2.6 OZ one of the bundles is optional for extra noodle in the soup)
- ½ cup Shitake mushrooms (optional; if they are dry, you must rehydrate first.)
- ½ lb ground pork
- 1 tsp minced ginger
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp ground pepper
- 1 tbsp sesame oil (optional)
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- ¼ cup green onion (chopped)
- 2 tbsp cilantro (chopped)
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 egg
- 3 cups Napa cabbage (chopped)
- 1 cup carrot (chopped and optional)
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 1 tsp chicken bouillon (optional)
- 1 tbsp fried garlic (optinal)
Instructions
- Soak the bean thread in room temperature water for 10 minutes then strain and cut into about 1 inch pieces.
- If using dried Shitake mushrooms, rehydrated them in hot or warm water while preparing everything else.
- Chop and wash the Napa cabbage.
- Finely chop green onion and cilantro.
- In a bowl, combine ground pork, an egg, cornstarch, salt, pepper, soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, minced garlic, and half of the chopped green onion, cilantro, and half of the bean thread. Mix well and form the mixture into small meatballs.
- Bring chicken broth to a boil and add the pork meatballs and rehydrated shiitake mushrooms.Cook the meatballs for 10 -15 minutes, then add the Napa cabbage and an additional bundle of soaked glass noodles if desired.
- Simmer for another 3–5 minutes, allowing the flavors to meld.
- Taste the soup and adjust the seasoning with chicken bouillon if needed, adding only 1 teaspoon at a time to avoid over-salting.
- Garnish the soup with the rest of chopped cilantro and green onion and optionally fried garlic for extra flavor.
