I am certainly not here to compete with the mothers of the North, but I do want to shed some light on this delightful dish, and this is how I like to prepare it. Plus, I know you guys love noodles! If you’re a fan of our Ants Climbing a Tree recipe (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 is generally the mung 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 the texture 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 in the cooked glass noodles and pork belly, cover, and simmer for another 2 minutes.
Stir in the chopped scallion (if using) and serve!
