Our Taste of Home: Cold Noodles

by Peggy Wang

Cold noodles were always prepared by my mom as a summer meal during the hot, hot summer in Taiwan. The dish was so delicious and easy to share, so most of my friends tasted it and loved it too. Because it is so good, I started making it for my own children during the sunny summers in Los Angeles.

Little did I know, my oldest daughter Jessica would one day become a recipe developer and cooking instructor. She loves to ask me for family recipes and Ni Ni’s cold noodles is one of them. We documented the recipe together so we can share it with the next generation in our family, and with friends like you!

Note: Ni-Ni is my parents’ dialect for grandma 

Ni Ni Memories Series No. 1: Long Life Summer Noodles

Presented by Mama Peggy & Daughters ~ Picklé Pickle Co. 

Zhacai Suen-Si Rou-Si Liangban Mian / Cold Tossed Noodles with Pickles, Pork + Bamboo

Makes 5-8 servings of joy for long life:

13.5 oz dried wheat noodles or your favorite gluten free noodles (about 2 1/2 lb fresh noodles)

3-4 quarts water for cooking noodles, plus 1 teaspoon of salt

1 tablespoon sesame oil 

Vegetables for Gravy:

½ cup xianggu shiitake mushroom, ½ oz dried and rehydrated in 1 cup lukewarm water or 2 oz fresh 

3 oz zhacai mustard stem pickles (see recipe below for alternative suancai mustard greens)

1 4-5 oz suen bamboo shoot - look for the choice with the least preservatives in fridge section

2 tablespoons vegetable oil for cooking, plus more as  needed

Marinated Pork for Gravy:

½ lb pork tenderloin (rou)/veg. substitute: eggplant

1 tablespoon soy sauce

¼ teaspoon salt (add 1 teaspoon more for eggplant)

1 tablespoon cornstarch or sweet potato starch

½ teaspoon of fine ground white pepper

1 egg yolk

1 teaspoon vegetable oil

1 teaspoon water, to be added right before cooking

Gravy ingredients:

1 ½ cups stock (meat stock recipe below)

1 teaspoon xiaoxing wine, or more to taste

1 tablespoon corn or sweet potato starch

Stock ingredients:

1 whole chicken’s bones

1 lb pork bone

1 oz, about 2 inches ginger

2 large cilantro roots (for a Thai touch!)

3 quarts water

For finishing:

8 oz cucumbers, about 2 Persian or 1 small Japanese 

2 fresh green onions, chopped

1/2 cup picked cilantro leaves

extra white pepper

Condiment for serving:

½-¾ oz or 3-4 cloves of garlic, crushed

3 oz white distilled or rice vinegar

Step 1: Instantpot Bone Stock for Gravy

Fill pot with enough water to reach 4 quarts. Cook on high pressure setting for 30 minutes. 

This recipe may be prepared in a stock pot on the stovetop, partially covered and simmered 90 min.

When cool enough to handle, strain solids out. Reserve half and freeze when completely cool. You’ll only need half of this stock recipe, about 3 ½ cups to prepare the noodle dish.

Stir together 1 ½ cups stock with starch to make a slurry for gravy. Set aside. 

Step 2: Marinate Pork (If using eggplant, salt with 1 teaspoon salt until tender before proceeding)

Slice pork crosswise into ¼ inch pieces, then slice into ¼ inch thick strips. Stir marinade ingredients (except for water - that will be added right before cooking) together in a medium bowl with chopsticks. Add sliced pork to bowl of marinade and mix gently with chopsticks or by hand. Cover and start preparing the other ingredients in Step 3.

Step 3: Prepare Vegetables

Using a fresh cutting board, cut cucumbers into ¼ inch slices diagonally, then lay flat and slice lengthwise into matchsticks. Cover and keep cool in fridge. 

Taste bamboo shoots. If they are bitter, boil in salted water for 10 minutes then drain. Slice bamboo into slivers like the pork - first slice lengthwise, then across into sticks that are about 1 ½ inches long. 

Slice mushrooms and zhacai into slender strips. Arrange all sliced vegetables on a plate, in separate mounds. 

Step 4: Stirfry Ingredients

Start with marinated pork. Heat oil in wok or large frying pan over medium high heat and stir the teaspoon of water into bowl of pork. When oil shimmers, tip pork into the pan and cook, stirring constantly to make sure meat cooks evenly and quickly. Transfer pork to a plate or bowl. 

Next stirfry mushrooms over medium high heat with a pinch of salt. Add more oil to pan if needed. Add zhacai next and continue cooking until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add bamboo shoots next and stirfry for about 2 more minutes. 

Add pork back into pan and stir to combine. Stir in slurry for gravy and simmer until thickened. Turn off heat and continue to next step. 

Step 5: Cook Noodles

Follow instructions on package for cooking noodles. Rinse with cool water, drain well and toss with sesame oil. 

Step 6: Plate and Enjoy!

Distribute ingredients among serving plates and toss together then enjoy! If preparing to enjoy later, keep all ingredients in separate containers and refrigerate. Toss right before serving. Good for 1 week!