Vietnamese Caramel Pork Noodles are juicy, tasty, quick and easy - everything you want in a weeknight dinner.
I’m all about low fuss cooking on a weeknight, and these Vietnamese Caramel Pork Noodles are exactly that. They’re going to elevate your stir-fry game, by simply adding something delicious -- caramel. Or to be more specific, brown sugar, baby.
That’s right - caramel pork noodles are actually made with caramel, and this combination of delightfully sweet goes perfectly with our salty pork and tangy fish, lime and soy sauce.
Why you should make these Vietnamese Caramel Pork Noodles
Vietnamese Caramel Pork Noodles are bursting with flavour, incredibly juicy and such a quick and easy dinner to get on the table. They’re full of flavour, and you will absolutely love the caramelised pork - if you haven’t tried it before, now is your time.
The frozen baby peas make this really quick and easy - they take no time to cook and even less time to prepare.
And this dinner is budget friendly - pork mince is an inexpensive meat and carrots and peas are cheap.
What’s in these Caramel Pork Noodles?
- Noodles: We’ll use pre-cooked / ready to eat Udon noodles. If you’re GF, use rice noodles.
- Caramel: Brown sugar and water
- Sauce: Soy sauce, fish sauce, lime juice, garlic and Chinese five spice (leave this out for little kids)
- Vegetables: Matchsticked carrots, green onion and frozen baby peas
- Toppings: Peanuts and black sesame seeds (optional)
Top tip for Vietnamese Caramel Pork
My major tip here is when it comes time to add the pork, raise up the heat and add it a handful at a time. If you add it all in one go, your meat will cool the pan too much and start to stew, which you don’t want. You want it lovely and crispy and caramelised, and so you need to let it sit for a minute before you stir it, this will allow it to get a good sear on one side.
The other tip is to not stir your noodles too vigorously - if you do, they’ll break apart.
Finally, add the peas last - they take no time to cook and will keep a beautiful fresh green colour if you add them at the last minute.
Substitutions
- Alternative proteins - Swap pork mince for chicken or beef mince.
- Vegetarian - Swap the pork for tofu or fried egg.
- Dairy Free - This recipe is dairy free.
- Gluten Free - Swap soy sauce for tamari, and udon noodles for rice noodles.
Kid-Friendly Variations of Vietnamese Caramel Pork
- Option to skip Chinese five spice.
- Skip green onion, peanuts and sesame seeds.
Equipment
You will need a deep frying pan or wok, a stovetop.
More Pork Mince Recipes
Recipe
Vietnamese Caramel Pork Noodles
Equipment
- Deep frying pan or wok
- Stovetop
Ingredients
- 1 lime
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 tablespoon soy sauce
- 2 tablespoon fish sauce
- 1 teaspoon Chinese five spice opt.
- 2 carrot
- ½ bunch green onion
- 1 cup frozen baby peas
- ⅓ cup roast peanuts
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon water
- 500 g pork mince
- 400 g udon noodles ready to eat
- 2 teaspoon black sesame seeds
Instructions
- Zest and juice lime into a bowl. Mince garlic and add to the bowl. Mix in soy and fish sauces and Chinese five spice (option to skip spice for little ones).1 lime, 2 cloves garlic, 2 tablespoon soy sauce, 2 tablespoon fish sauce, 1 teaspoon Chinese five spice
- Matchstick carrot. Trim green onion and slice the green part on an angle. Measure out peas. Roughly chop peanuts.2 carrot, ½ bunch green onion, 1 cup frozen baby peas, ⅓ cup roast peanuts
- Heat a large, deep frying pan or wok over medium heat. Add brown sugar and water, and cook for 1-2 mins, or until caramelised.¼ cup brown sugar, 1 tablespoon water
- Turn heat up and add pork mince, a handful at a time (don’t add it all at once). Let it sit on one side to sear, then mix, every so often until browned (about 4 mins).500 g pork mince
- Add noodles, carrots and sauce, and stir through gently until noodles are soft. (Noodles will break if you stir too vigorously).400 g udon noodles, 2 carrot
- Just before serving add peas and mix through until cooked (1 min). To serve, divide amongst bowls. For kids, option to serve peas separately. For adults, top with green onion, chopped peanuts and black sesame seeds.½ bunch green onion, 1 cup frozen baby peas, ⅓ cup roast peanuts, 2 teaspoon black sesame seeds
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