Hoisin mince and noodles
Similar to the northern Chinese zhajiang mian, these sweet and salty noodles benefit from plenty of fresh cucumber. Don't be scared of the amount of oil. It gets flavoured by the pork and aromatics to act as a dressing for the noodles.
Ingredients
½ cup vegetable oil
300g minced pork
3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1 tsp grated ginger
1 small carrot, diced
1 tbsp soy sauce
½ cup hoisin sauce
500g Hokkien noodles
2 Lebanese cucumbers, shaved
3 spring onions, finely sliced
Method
1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Heat a wok over high heat and add 2 tablespoons of the vegetable oil. Add the pork and fry for about 5 minutes, until browned. Add the garlic, ginger and carrot and fry for a few minutes until the carrot is softened and the garlic fragrant. Add the soy sauce, hoisin sauce and remaining oil and stir to combine.
2. Boil the noodles for just a minute. Reserve a ¼ cup of the noodle water and drain the noodles. Add the noodles to the wok with the reserved noodle water and toss to combine. Serve topped with the sliced cucumbers and sliced spring onions.
Adam's tip: Noodle dishes, like many pasta dishes, need plenty of oil to carry the flavour of aromatics and dress the noodles themselves. Make sure you cook your aromatics well to get plenty of flavour into the oil.
Find more of Adam Liaw's recipes in the Good Food New Classics cookbook.
Appears in these collections
The best recipes from Australia's leading chefs straight to your inbox.
Sign up
Adam Liaw is a cookbook author and food writer, co-host of Good Food Kitchen and former MasterChef winner.
