Despite the simple ingredients, stir fry cabbage vermicelli noodle is surprisingly delicious. This is my favorite noodle dish, no one of because I am a huge fan of vermicelli noodles. They have such amazing texture and taste. This recipe is quick, easy, and full of flavors. There is no excuse not to give it a try.

INGREDIENTS

• 280 grams (10 oz) of cabbage, julienned
• 200 grams (7 oz) of vermicelli noodles, soak in hot water for 15 minutes
• 2 tbsp of dark soy sauce
• 1/2 tbsp of oil to coat the noodles
• 170 grams (6 oz) of skinless pork belly, cut into strips
• 1-2 tbsp of oil to stir fry
• 4 cloves of garlic, sliced thinly
• 1/2 inch of ginger, sliced thinly
• 2 scallions, dice the white part and cut the green part into 1 inch long stalks
• 2 tbsp of red dried chilies, cut into short pieces, optional
• 4-5 pieces of Thai bird chilies, roughly diced, optional
• 2 tbsp of Sichuan Dou Ban Jiang, if you don’t eat spicy food, use soybean paste
• 1.5 tbsp of soy sauce

INSTRUCTIONS

The first step is to soak the noodles in 2 liters of hot water for 15 minutes. Do not soak the noodles in cold water, otherwise, they will lose the chewy texture, and they will break easily while stir-frying.

These vermicelli noodles are made with sweet potato starch. You can use other kinds such mung bean starch or potato starch noodles. Just get the thick version.

While waiting, thinly julienne 1/4 of cabbage; slice a few cloves of garlic and 1/2 inch of ginger; dice the white part of the scallions and cut the green part into 1-inch-long pieces; Julienne the pork belly into strips. You can also use thick cuts of bacon for more flavors. If you are vegan, you can skip the pork belly.

Once the noodles are done soaking, drain completely and shake off the excess water. Mix the noodles with 2 tbsp of dark soy sauce to get a desired brown color. Drizzle 1/2 tbsp of vegetable oil to prevent the noodles from sticking. Mix well.

Turn the heat to high and heat the wok until smoking hot. Add a drizzle of oil to lubricate the wok and to create a non-stick surface. Switch the heat to low and saute the pork belly until slightly golden brown, and a few tbsp of pork fat is randered.

Add garlic, ginger, white part of scallions, red dried chilies, Thai bird eye chilies, and 2 tbsp of Dou Ban Jiang. Cabbage Vermicelli noodles is a popular dish all over China. I am making the Sichuan version today. That’s why I am using different kinds of chilies and Dou Ban Jiang. If you don’t eat spicy food, you don’t have to use the chilies and you can replace the dou ban jiang with soybean paste.

Once the oil turns into a golden red color, you can add the cabbage. Stir over medium heat until the cabbage is welted. This will take a couple of minutes.

Add the noodles along with 1.5 tbsp of soy sauce. Keep mixing over high heat for a few more minutes. Look at that, no matter how you manipulate the noodles, they don’t break that much. That is the result of hot water soaking. Before serving, toss in the green parts of the scallion. Give it a final mix, you are done.