Sometimes you’re craving something really really really TASTY, and oftentimes the secret to that craving is lots of salty, spicy goodness. That’s why today, we’re offering up these Spicy Crispy Pork Noodles made with one of our favorite store-bought sauces, Lao Gan Ma.
A Recipe with Shortcuts!
We’ve done a few recipes now that showcase our favorite—really China’s favorite—shortcut to flavor: Lao Gan Ma Chili Sauce with Black Beans. One of the first was Kaitlin’s Special Noodles, a riff on a sort of Lao Gan Ma lo mein that is packed with the delicious aromatics and porky crispy bits that we all want in a great bowl of noodles. Another recipe that uses this greatest of chili sauces is my mom’s Lao Gan Ma Noodles. (You can read more on the origin of “Godmother sauce” there, too!)
But another shortcut to this Spicy Crispy Pork Noodles recipe is using regular ol’ spaghetti!!! It technically came about because my dad forgot to buy the lo mein noodles for me to make the original Kaitlin’s Special Noodles recipe. When you’re a blogger, forgetting your shopping list isn’t just inconvenient, it turns into an occupational hazard when I open the fridge and realize there ain’t no lo mein noodles in sight…
That said, the great news is that this recipe actually works great with any box of dried spaghetti, even in the wok; but you can make it in any heavy-bottomed skillet set over high heat.
We hope you enjoy this Spicy Crispy Pork Noodles recipe as much as we do!
Spicy Crispy Pork Noodles: The Recipe
Pour ¼ cup oil into the wok over medium heat and add the chilis. Let the peppers infuse the oil for 1 minute.
Add the minced ginger and Sichuan peppercorn powder, if using, and fry for another minute.
Add the chopped garlic and cook for another 30 seconds.
Then add the ground pork. Stir until just cooked through, breaking up any big chunks.
Next, add 2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine, ½ teaspoon of sugar, ½ teaspoon white pepper, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, and ½ teaspoon sesame oil.
Then add 2 heaping tablespoons of the Lao Gan Ma black bean hot sauce. Stir and cook for a minute.
Turn the heat up to high and add the cooked spaghetti, peanuts, scallions, and leafy veggies.
You can use any leafy green vegetable that wilts quickly. We chose baby bok choy:
Quickly stir fry for a few minutes to heat them through. Stir fry to combine, moving quickly so the spaghetti doesn’t stick to the wok. Cook until the veggies are wilted/just cooked through.
Serve immediately!
Spicy Crispy Pork Noodles
Ingredients
- ¼ cup oil
- 1-3 fresh or dried red chilis
- 2 tablespoons ginger (finely minced)
- ½ teaspoon Sichuan peppercorn powder (optional)
- 5 cloves garlic (chopped)
- 8 ounces ground pork
- 2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon white pepper
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce (plus more to taste)
- ½ teaspoon sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons Lao Gan Ma Black Bean Chili Sauce (or to taste, we used 3!)
- 8 oz. dried spaghetti (cooked according to package instructions)
- ⅓ cup chopped peanuts (optional)
- 1 scallion (chopped)
- A big handful or two of any leafy green vegetable (anything that wilts quickly and has a mild flavor will do, such as bok choy, choy sum, spinach, napa cabbage, etc., washed)
Instructions
- Pour ¼ cup oil into the wok over medium heat and add the chilis. Let the peppers infuse the oil for 1 minute. Add the minced ginger and Sichuan peppercorn powder, if using, and fry for another minute.
- Add the minced garlic and cook for another 30 seconds. Then add the ground pork. Stir until just cooked through, breaking up any big chunks. Next, add 2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine, ½ teaspoon of sugar, ½ teaspoon white pepper, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, and ½ teaspoon sesame oil. Then add 2 heaping tablespoons of the black bean hot sauce. Stir and cook for a minute.
- Turn the heat up to high and add the cooked spaghetti, peanuts, scallions, and leafy veggies. Quickly stir fry for a few minutes to heat them through. Stir fry to combine, moving quickly so the spaghetti doesn’t stick to the wok. Cook until the veggies are wilted/just cooked through.
- Serve immediately!
nutrition facts
Kaitlin,
Going to dive into this recipe and wondering if I can use rice vermicelli instead of the spaghetti. I have to go gluten free for my wife so the rice noodle came to mind. I have some ChaKou MinQing Chinese brand vermicelli that are thicker than the typical angel hair variety. Even then I’m not sure about the consistency and the fry-ability for this dish. As a backup I think my wife has a good GF spaghetti if you think that would be better (which I’m willing to “take one for the team” and eat ;-).
Thanks for any thoughts on this.
Darn, just discovered our stash of the GF spaghetti is gone, and it is no longer available in stores. I think I’ll have to make do with the rice vermicelli and hope for the best. Still would appreciate thoughts on rice noodle application for this recipe, including any procedural adjustments.
Hi Glenn, I would have tended toward the GF spaghetti — these days, they’re quite convincing, but I do feel your pain! You’re a good husband hahah. The dish doesn’t change much as in the case of either noodle, they are pre-cooked then tossed into the sauce mixture at the end for just a minute or two to thoroughly mix/stir fry. You may want to be extra careful with your spatula though as rice noodles can be a bit more delicate.
For future reference your wife will appreciate the many rice noodle recipes we have on the blog! :) Good luck!
Kaitlin,
Thanks for the additional tips. In the time between my post and your response I obviously went through with the recipe with the rice noodles I cited and it came out pretty darn good.
I have to vouch for the ChaKou MinQing Chinese brand rice vermicelli. It has more body than the angel hair version and maybe my go-to GF noodle substitute for spaghetti style noodle dishes. I did use two wooden spoons with care in the wok and these noodles held up very well.
I found some Lao Gan Ma brand sauces in my local Asian market but couldn’t find the Black Bean Chili Sauce. I had some (fermented) black bean sauce so I improvised and added your Chili Chow Chili Sauce I made some time ago, and voila, black bean with chili sauce.
Given my wife’s GF requirement, we have to be selective when eating at Asian restaurants. Therefore I’ve searched out (and tried some) rice noodle recipes, but now that I’ve found the missing link between mei fun and ho fun noodles I’ll have to look into other noodle substitutions (plus or minus).
Thanks,
Glenn
Thanks, Glenn! I’m so glad it worked out — sounds like you made smart substitutions! :)
This is a lovely fusion recipe and a great way to clean out the fridge with whatever vegetables happen to be on hand. I made this for the second time tonight and BF asked, “why don’t we add a fried egg?”. So we did :-). Thank you as always!!!
Thanks, Louise! I love it.
I cannot thank you enough for this delicious recipe. I have made this twice now and its a HIT! My Dominican mother who does not eat spicy foods could not get enough of this. While the recipe calls for Lao Gan Ma Black Bean Chili Sauce, I also add 2 tablespoons of chili bean sauce (Toban Djan) to the dish to give it a bit more depth. wow! 2020 Quarantine home cooked food is better than restaurants in NYC!
Thanks to you all!
Yay! I’m so glad you and your family liked it, Karen! 2020 is full of surprises…glad you’re safe and making the most of things at home :)
Question, My Lao Gan Ma jar says “Chili Oil with Black Beans”.
Is this the same thing that’s called for in this recipe?
Thanks!!
Yes, Mark.
After making this using the “Surprise Me” button, I was blown away. After a quick jaunt to our local Asian grocer to grab a handful of items I didn’t have on hand, I got to work making this. This was a spicy revelation, fairly simple all things considered, even if my wok was a tad bit on the small side.
Another absolutely win from the Woks of Life.
Thanks so much for doing this!
-Aaron
Yayyyy! Happy dance!
Deeelish!
I went to Chinatown (Kitchener, ON Canada) and saw The Godmother sitting on a shelf among other mere sauces.
I immediately grabbed the 740g jar (go big or go back to Chinatown…) and I have polished off 1/3 of the jar in two weeks.
Once again thank you for your blog/recipes etc…they are ALWAYS spot on, even my little Chinese dad thinks so!
Sirka
Devoted Wokker
Thank you for being a devoted wokker and for your lovely comment, Sirka.
Another out of the ball park hit! Did have to reduce heat scale for hubby, but was awesome. Thanks so much for a great recipe.
You are so welcome, Renate.