When I think about my absolute favourite dishes to make and eat, this one is right up there. My XO Sauce Noodles with Pork and Green Beans is packed with flavour and so delicious. A comfort food that I didn’t grow up eating, and yet gives me the same warm feeling as my Nanna’s cooking. And best of all, it takes almost no time to make – great for busy weeknights. I go out of my way to keep a jar of XO sauce in the fridge at all times so I can make this whenever the craving strikes.
This dish draws inspiration from one on the menu at New Shanghai. I have ordered it every single visit for over a decade. I pray it never leaves the menu because I love it so much. The original dish features Chinese rice cake, stir-fried with pork and XO sauce. Rice cake is made from glutinous rice, sliced into thin discs that offer an amazing, satisfying chewy texture. I have tried to replicate it for years, but in the end after many tweaks and iterations, my version has transformed into something quite different to the original.
What is XO sauce?
The star of the show is XO sauce and the dish won’t be the same without it. XO sauce delivers a serious hit of umami, thanks to a blend of dried scallops, prawns, fish, garlic, and chilli. Born in Hong Kong and named after XO Cognac (a symbol of luxury) it adds punch to stir-fries or makes a killer finishing touch when spooned over your favourite dishes. It’s rich and salty, savoury and sweet all at once, and jam packed with flavour. A mushroom version also exists although I haven’t personally tried it. Lately it has been harder to find XO sauce, but I stock up every time I see it.
It looks like quite a lot of ingredients but I promise, this dish is so quick and easy to make. Apart from a handful of fresh items, the rest are all staples that keep well in the fridge or pantry. A couple of notes on the other ingredients. Soy sauce and sweet soy sauce are two different things. Sweet soy, sometimes called kecap manis has a thicker consistency and often a more concentrated flavour. We want both in this dish!
I’ve used noodles instead of Chinese rice cake this time. We are keeping it super simple for a weeknight dinner over here! Rice cake can be hard to source, but I always have some kind of wheat noodle on hand in the pantry! If you’d like to use rice cake instead of noodles, the steps are very similar. I just add a lid to the pan and allow the rice cake to steam for a few minutes to cook through.
I also love adding black vinegar and using pork mince instead of strips. Black vinegar or Chinkiang is another of my favourite products that I never run out of. It is NOT balsamic vinegar! Balsamic vinegar comes from grapes, while black vinegar gets its distinctive savoury, smoky flavour from fermented rice and sometimes other grains. Use it as a dipping sauce for dumplings or splash it into braises and stir-fries to add a punch of flavour. It’s a delicious, versatile addition to your pantry!
I add heaps of greens for freshness against the rich and deeply savoury flavours. This time I used green beans and bok choy but I often change it up. Broccolini, snow peas, gai lan or even a huge handful of baby spinach is great too.
This is the first time I’ve ever actually measured out any of the ingredients when cooking this particular dish! I usually just eyeball it, go off *vibes* and adjust as I go. Of course different brands of products may taste different. I’d recommend using this recipe as a jumping off point, then tasting and tweaking until you love the flavour.
To put it all together, you prepare your noodles, mix the sauce, and start frying your ingredients. First, fry the pork, garlic, and ginger. Then, add the spring onion, green beans, and bok choy. After that, pour in your sauce and cook for a couple of minutes until the veggies are almost tender. Next, toss in the noodles (and sesame oil, if you’re using it) and stir-fry them until they coat and combine with everything. That’s literally it! Serve with as much chilli oil as you like. I also love sesame seeds and fresh coriander on top. You can have dinner cooked in 15 minutes, and it’s so freakin delicious!!
Related Post: Spicy Pork and Tahini Noodles
XO Sauce Noodles with Pork and Green Beans
Ingredients
- 400 g wheat noodles such as Hokkien or Udon (I used the shelf stable kind)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil or vegetable oil
- 400 g pork mince
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon minced ginger
- 4 spring onions
- 2 bok choy, roughly chopped into large pieces
- 200 g green beans, ends removed and halved
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil (optional)
- Chilli oil, to serve
- Sesame seeds, to serve
- Fresh coriander, to serve
Sauce
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup black vinegar (Chinkiang vinegar)
- 1/4 cup Shaoxing (Chinese cooking wine)
- 1/4 cup sweet soy sauce (Kecap Manis)
- 1 teaspoon chilli oil (or more to taste)
- 2-3 tablespoons XO sauce
Instructions
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Prep your noodles according to package instructions. I like to place in a bowl with boiling water for a few minutes and then gently pull the noodles apart with a fork of chopsticks. Drain and set aside.
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To make the sauce, add all the sauce ingredients to a bowl or jug and mix thoroughly until combined.
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In a large frypan or wok, heat the oil and fry the pork mince until mostly browned. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for another minute or two. Add the spring onion, then the green beans and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add the bok choy and sauce. Cook for 5 minutes and then add noodles and sesame oil (if using). Toss to coat and combine and cook for a further few minutes until noodles are well cooked and vegetables are tender.
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Serve in bowls with additional chilli sauce, sesame seeds and fresh coriander.
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