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Sesame Noodles with Pork

sesame noodles with pork 1

There are days when all I want is a big plate of noodles – and because I haven’t yet found the takeout joint with the tangle of irresistibly creamy-spicy-peanutty noodles, I make them myself. I made this particular batch a couple weekends ago, and have answered a few DM requests for the recipe since – sorry it has taken so long to share. I’m going to leave it here to keep you well fed while the three of us hop on a plane for London – just to go exploring and eat some fish and chips. (Mike has never been overseas, and so I got a crazy deal last fall and surprised him and W. I’m writing this as we pack. SO EXCITED. I love London.)

sesame noodles with pork 2

A pound of fresh Asian noodles is impossibly cheap, and ground pork is about the most affordable of the ground meats – I love it when it’s cooked until crispy, all salty with soy and spiked with ginger and garlic. This isn’t a springy noodle dish, light and bouncy with crisp veggies – it’s dense and chewy, rich from the peanut butter, but the rice vinegar, green onions and cilantro keep it from being too heavy. It’s the sort of thing I want to eat with chopsticks straight from a paper takeout container, but I’ll settle for a shallow bowl and my couch.

Sesame Noodles with Pork

AuthorJulie

Yields1 Serving

canola or other vegetable oil, for cooking
sesame oil, for cooking
1 lb ground pork
a few green onions, chopped
1/4 cup chopped cilantro (I use the stems), plus some extra leaves for garnish
2-3 garlic cloves, crushed (divided)
2 tsp grated fresh ginger (divided)
1/3 cup soy sauce (or to taste - divided)
1/4 cup rice vinegar (divided)
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1-2 Tbsp peanut butter (optional)
1 tsp chili-garlic paste or Sriracha (optional)
1 lb fresh Shanghai or other Asian noodles

1

Set a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add a drizzle of oil - I use some canola and some sesame - and cook the pork, breaking it up with a spoon, until it's no longer pink and starting to brown. Add the green onions, cilantro, a clove or two of garlic and a good grating of ginger somewhere along the way, along with half the soy sauce and vinegar. As you add half of each ingredient, put the other half into a small bowl or measuring cup, along with the peanut butter, chili paste and a tablespoon or two of sesame oil. Continue to cook the pork until it's nice and crispy, with any excess moisture cooked off.

2

Meanwhile, bring a pot of water to a boil and cook the noodles for a few minutes, or until tender. Drain well.

3

Spoon the meat out of the skillet to a bowl, add a little more oil to the skillet and add the noodles (half at a time, if all of them makes it too full to handle), and pour over the soy-vinegar-sugar-peanut butter mixture. Toss with tongs to coat well, leaving it over the heat for a minute or two, until any excess moisture has cooked off. Transfer to a serving dish and top with the pork mixture and some extra cilantro, if you like.

4

Serves 4-6.

Category

Ingredients

 canola or other vegetable oil, for cooking
 sesame oil, for cooking
 1 lb ground pork
 a few green onions, chopped
 1/4 cup chopped cilantro (I use the stems), plus some extra leaves for garnish
 2-3 garlic cloves, crushed (divided)
 2 tsp grated fresh ginger (divided)
 1/3 cup soy sauce (or to taste - divided)
 1/4 cup rice vinegar (divided)
 1 Tbsp brown sugar
 1-2 Tbsp peanut butter (optional)
 1 tsp chili-garlic paste or Sriracha (optional)
 1 lb fresh Shanghai or other Asian noodles

Directions

1

Set a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add a drizzle of oil - I use some canola and some sesame - and cook the pork, breaking it up with a spoon, until it's no longer pink and starting to brown. Add the green onions, cilantro, a clove or two of garlic and a good grating of ginger somewhere along the way, along with half the soy sauce and vinegar. As you add half of each ingredient, put the other half into a small bowl or measuring cup, along with the peanut butter, chili paste and a tablespoon or two of sesame oil. Continue to cook the pork until it's nice and crispy, with any excess moisture cooked off.

2

Meanwhile, bring a pot of water to a boil and cook the noodles for a few minutes, or until tender. Drain well.

3

Spoon the meat out of the skillet to a bowl, add a little more oil to the skillet and add the noodles (half at a time, if all of them makes it too full to handle), and pour over the soy-vinegar-sugar-peanut butter mixture. Toss with tongs to coat well, leaving it over the heat for a minute or two, until any excess moisture has cooked off. Transfer to a serving dish and top with the pork mixture and some extra cilantro, if you like.

4

Serves 4-6.

Sesame Noodles with Pork
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12 comments on “Sesame Noodles with Pork

  1. Mary-Louise Hunn
    February 12, 2017 at 7:19 pm

    OMG Julie that looks and sounds amazing, and I can just picture eating it on the couch, in my “lounge wear” while watching tv. I can almost taste it now.
    thanks for the great post
    jolly good
    have a great trip

    • Julie
      February 15, 2017 at 11:38 am

      Thanks Mary-Louise!!

  2. Jenny | The Baking Skillet
    February 13, 2017 at 5:19 pm

    This looks scrumptious! Perfect for cold nights 🙂

  3. Melanie
    February 14, 2017 at 4:12 pm

    I just read this recipe and leapt to my feet to make it. It is about 40 minutes later and I am enjoying a big bowl. This recipe is a keeper! I used brown rice vermicelli and I think I might try ground chicken next time. So, so easy and GOOD!

    • Julie
      February 15, 2017 at 11:24 am

      Yay! so glad to hear it!!

  4. KathyG
    February 14, 2017 at 4:33 pm

    Have a great trip!

  5. Amy
    February 15, 2017 at 8:56 pm

    Hi Julie! I made these noodles for dinner tonight and they are oh-so tasty! I’m adding them into the dinner rotation for sure. Hope you’re having a great time in London – what an amazing surprise for your husband and son! Memories for a lifetime.

  6. sillygirl
    February 17, 2017 at 10:29 am

    When I go to print the recipe I get a blank page – am I doing something wrong?

    • Julie
      February 20, 2017 at 9:24 am

      It should be fixed now – sorry! thanks!!

  7. Lois McCormack
    February 16, 2022 at 12:31 pm

    Is there any way to sub a port tenderloin for the ground pork in this recipe?

    • Julie
      February 18, 2022 at 9:26 am

      Sure, just cut it into thin strips to saute!

  8. Tom Barrow
    September 1, 2022 at 3:19 pm

    Not that anyone can”t figure it out, there is no instruction in the recipe when and where to add the brown sugar.

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