Tired of coming up with new meal ideas or getting sick of what’s been on the weekly quarantine dinner rotation? Fret no more. Today I’m coming at you with this Hakka-style fried noodle dish with pork and Thai basil. A quick + simple twenty minute flavorful and juicy noodle stir-fry topped with Thai basil which gives it a licorice, aniseed taste.

If you know be my now asian meals, more specifically Vietnamese, Thai, India, and Chinese are common on the weekly dinner rotation in this house. Many of the meals are go-to staples since they’re easy to make during the week when time is limited or the amount of motivation to put a ton of effort into cooking during the dog days of summer is quite limited.

If cooking Asian food intimidates you or is just new type of cuisine to you in the kitchen, know that once you make a few dishes and have the commonly used ingredients on hand like soy sauce (or coconut aminos), ginger, garlic, etc., they become super easy to make — this coming from someone who has learned to appreciate cooking all types of cuisines.

That said, I made this dish for dinner this week and it was SO easy to whip up + too good not to share. You can easily use any combination of meat or tofu and veggies to your liking. This dish calls for fresh egg noodles, which I ended up making on my own because I had a little extra time to spare and well. Also, I couldn’t find any at the store that day and there’s nothing like fresh made pasta. However, don’t be afraid to simplify by using what you have on hand or what you can find at the store. If you need to used dried noodles, this meal will still be just as tasty, I can promise you that.

Ingredients:

• 3/4-1 pound pork tenderloin, cut into thin slices

• 2 red chilies, seeded and finely chopped

• 1 inch piece of ginger, grated

• 1 3/4 pound fresh egg noodles

• 1 cup chicken stock or broth

• 1/2 bunch garlic chives, cut into 3/8 inch lengths or regular chives

• 1/2 pound bean sprouts (I used bok boy instead)

• 6-8 Thai basil sprigs or regular basil, leaves picked

• 1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper

• 2 tablespoons avocado oil

• 3 tablespoons light soy sauce (this kind is my favorite because its fermented)

• 1 1/2 tablespoons dark soy sauce

• Hot and sour red chili sauce, optional to serve with.

Instructions:

1. Heat the cooking oil in a wok or pan over medium heat and add the pork and red chilies, stir-frying for about 1 minute. Add the ginger, noodles, and slowly begin to add the chicken stock, stirring to combine. Cover the wok or pan with a lid, turn down the heat ,and simmer for about 1-2 minutes.

2. Add the light and dark soy sauce and stir-fry for about 1 minute. If the noodles are sticking, add a little more stock.

3. Add the garlic chives, bean sprouts (or veggies), white pepper, and stir. Taste the noodles to check the balance of flavors and adjust if needed. Add the basil and serve with the Hot & Sour Chili Sauce. Serve immediately.

This recipe was inspired and adapted by My Thai Cookbook by Tom Kime

Make this recipe and love it? Share it on instagram and tag me @saraannhubbard, so that I can give you credit and re-share!