One-Pot Wonders

Stir-Fried Rice Noodles with Minced Pork and Black Bean

by:
February 18, 2015
4 Stars
Stir-Fried Rice Noodles with Minced Pork and Black Bean
Photo by Bobbi Lin
Author Notes

Really not a lot to say about stir-fries that hasn’t been said before. Using a few pantry staples and whatever vegetables you have on hand, you can whip up something delicious in a matter of minutes. They come in handy especially when, say, you’ve been homebound for a week and are running out of options, and you have scraps of leftover vegetables moping around in the refrigerator begging to be productive in some way.

A new regular in my kitchen that I’ve been using in just about everything that I feel would carry its intense flavor and saltiness—fermented black bean. A little bit goes a long way, and the spicy pungency it provides is definitely a game changer in any stir-fry. The next time you make fried rice, add a teaspoon of it to your eggs before you whisk them up and scramble. I tried this neat trick once, and haven’t had it any other way since. I understand (I do, really) that not every recipe is as blank a canvas as a grilled chicken, but this stir-fry sure is. Add/omit ingredients as you wish and taste taste taste as you go along!
—Kirthana | Theblurrylime

Test Kitchen Notes

Tasty dish with a nice amount of heat. Preparations took thirty minutes which is good for a weekday meal. This was my first experience using black bean paste and the brand I used included salt and chiles, so lots of flavor. Although the recipe did not specify how to use the salt, I added some to the noodle water and no extra was needed. —Paula

  • Prep time 15 minutes
  • Cook time 20 minutes
  • Serves 3 to 4
Ingredients
  • 200 grams rice noodles
  • 300 grams minced pork
  • 1/2 cup chopped baby corn
  • 1 head of broccoli, chopped into florets
  • 1-inch pieces of ginger, finely sliced
  • 5 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 3 stalks of spring onions, chopped (set the tops aside to use as garnish)
  • 3 teaspoons black bean paste
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons soya sauce
  • 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
  • 1/2 teaspoon chile flakes
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil (plus extra for the eggs)
  • 3 eggs, lightly beaten
  • 2 dried red chiles, halved and de-seeded
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
  • 2 teaspoons sesame seeds, lightly toasted
  • 2 tablespoons peanuts, coarsely chopped
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • Salt
In This Recipe
Directions
  1. Cook the rice noodles in a pot of boiling water. Immerse the baby corn into the same pot as the noodles 3 minutes before the noodles are done. Blanch the broccoli a minute before both are done, and drain out all together. You want the noodles and vegetables to be al dente and still have a bite to it.
  2. Pour the olive oil into a wok/pot over medium heat and toss in the dried red chiles, onions, spring onions (the bottom part), ginger, and garlic. Sauté for a few minutes until translucent and lightly browned.
  3. Add the pork into the wok and, using a spatula, break up any clumps that are stuck together. Brown the meat thoroughly for a few minutes. Add in the black bean paste, soya sauce, rice vinegar, pepper, and chile flakes. (Note: Start by using 2 teaspoons each of soya sauce and rice vinegar, and taste before adding more). Cook for a few minutes until the rawness of the sauces are cooked off. Taste and adjust seasoning; set aside.
  4. In a skillet, lightly toast the sesame seeds and peanuts; set aside to sprinkle on top later. In the same skillet, add a few teaspoons of olive oil and lightly scramble the eggs, keeping it just a teeny bit runny.
  5. Toss in the noodles and vegetables into the minced pork mixture; add the scrambled eggs and mix through to combine evenly. Add a little water if necessary to loosen the consistency.
  6. Tip into your serving dish and garnish with the spring onion tops, peanuts, sesame oil, and seeds.
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  • Jan Goren
    Jan Goren
  • AntoniaJames
    AntoniaJames
  • Shayna Capland Greenwald
    Shayna Capland Greenwald
  • Kirthana | Theblurrylime
    Kirthana | Theblurrylime

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11 Reviews

Jan G.
Jan G. November 16, 2020
So, rice noodles confuse me. THe package says soak them in warm water. Recipe says cook them. Grrrrrr. Googled it because I have mung bean noodles too and trying o figure out the diference and there are different answers in many places. I'll carry on here.
 
AntoniaJames
AntoniaJames July 9, 2020
We really liked this. I will make it again. My notes: I used 1 tablespoon of salted fermented black beans (not paste) which I soaked in about 3 tablespoons of water while I prepped the other ingredients. I mashed the beans before adding them with the soaking liquid. I used cider vinegar instead of rice vinegar, omitted the baby corn, added a carrot cut into small matchsticks, and substituted a thinly sliced shallot for the scallions. I thought it could use a bit more acid, so I squeezed half a lime over it right before serving. The toasted sesame seeds + chopped peanuts are such a nice touch. Leftovers were delicious. I consider this a keeper. ;o)
 
tail.feathers
tail.feathers June 27, 2017
Kind of a wonky recipe. Definitely not a one pan meal. Personally, I roasted broccolini that I had on hand. I subbed corn kernels in lieu of baby corn. Also, I used a whole pound of ground turkey, rather than 7 ounces of pork. I didn't want to break up the lot. It took a bit longer to brown, but it worked out. Then, I don't know why the recipe only calls for 1T black bean sauce. I used a good 1/4C (4 tablespoons, Lee Kum Kee), as well as upped the rice vinegar and soy. Finally, I added the egg into the pan with the finished meat, sauce, and aromatics. No reason to use yet another pan. Overall we loved it! Really just throw together whatever you have that you think will work and go with it.
 
Shayna C.
Shayna C. February 14, 2017
This looks amazing! What other protein can I sub for the Pork? For the Kosher home :)
Thank You!
 
lilroseglow
lilroseglow September 24, 2016
I must not understand the term "one pan dinner". I thought it meant at the end I have only 1 pan to wash. Here, I have a pot to cook noodles, a wok, and a skillet, which automatically puts this recipe out of the week night category at my house.

I suppose one could categorize a one-pan dinner as any meal in which everything is eventually combined into a single dish before consuming. Which seems like a pointless category to me.
 
lilroseglow
lilroseglow September 24, 2016
recipe sounds delicious though - I'll be trying this some weekend night. Congrats on the Community Pick.
 
Author Comment
Kirthana |.
Kirthana |. September 27, 2016
Hi! I completely understand how you feel about this. Here's what I often do to REALLY make it a one-pan dish :) -- use a heavy bottom pot and cook the noodles and broccoli in it; drain and set aside.
-Wipe off any excess water, and toast sesame seeds and peanuts and set those aside too.
-Continue step 2 in the same pot. Just push the onion-ginger-garlic mixture to one side of the pot and crack the eggs into the other side. Scramble them lightly, and then continue onto step 3.
I hope that helps!
 
emcsull
emcsull March 29, 2016
all I seem to be able to get my hands on is black bean SAUCE. Guess that would work too, but it has another aroma, somehow.
 
Author Comment
Kirthana |.
Kirthana |. March 29, 2016
I have used the sauce before too, although not in this recipe. I would definitely use it, but maybe taste and adjust the amount?
 
AntoniaJames
AntoniaJames March 22, 2016
What a great idea - putting fermented black beans in this. We definitely will be trying this soon! ;o)
 
Author Comment
Kirthana |.
Kirthana |. March 22, 2016
Thanks Antonia! The black bean adds a certain depth to the dish that I simply love! I hope you like it as much as we do :)