Glass Noodles with Pork & Napa Cabbage (2024)

Braised Glass Noodles with Pork & Napa Cabbage, or白菜猪肉炖粉条,is a traditional dish from Northern China, and I’m pretty certain that most northerners have their own creative ways of cooking it.Some like to use sour cabbage instead of fresh cabbage, and some like to add chili. Some prefer it saucy, and others prefer an almost soup-like consistency. Of course, everyone claims that their own mother or grandmother makes the best version.

I am certainly not here to compete with the mothers of the North, but I do wantto shedsome light on this delightful dish, and this is how I like to prepare it. Plus, I know you guyslove noodles! If you’re a fan of ourAnts Climbing a Treerecipe (another famous glass noodle dish), you’ll love these braised glass noodles with pork and napa cabbage.

The most common glass noodle in Chinese cooking isgenerally themung bean noodle. It’s super absorbent, and soaks up liquid a little too quickly. So for this recipe, I decided to use Korean sweet potato noodles (commonly used for Japchae). I like thetexture of these noodles, and they work great in this dish!

Recipe Instructions

Pre-cook the sweet potato noodles, following the instructions on the package. Drain and toss in a teaspoon of oil to prevent sticking. Set aside.

Heat 3 tablespoons oil in a wok over high heat until just starting to smoke. Brown the pork belly for about a minute, and then turn the heat down to medium. Remove the pork belly from the wok and set aside.

Add the ginger, star anise, and rehydrated dried shiitake mushrooms. Cook for a minute.

Turn the heat back up to high, and add the napa cabbage.

Stir-fry for a minute, and then add the salt, oyster sauce, dark soy sauce and chicken stock (or water).

Mix everything well, cover, and simmer for 3 minutes.Mix inthe cooked glass noodles and pork belly, cover, and simmer for another 2 minutes.

Stir in the chopped scallion (if using) and serve!