Rice Noodles

Chao is stir fry. Mitaimu is Taiwanese Rice Noodles. They are made with rice flour and tapioca flour. It has a special qq texture, kind of like a mixed feeling of bouncy and gelatinous. It is very hard to find these noodles abroad but it is very easy to make at home, you can check Click here to learn how to make it. However, this recipe is not limited by the types of noodles. The best replacement is udon noodles because they are thick and pleasantly chewy. You can also use pasta, egg noodles, and lomein noodles...No matter what you use, you have to pre-boil the noodles until 80% cooked through. Then drain and set it aside for the stir fry.

INGREDIENTS

• 226 grams (1/2 lb) of skinless pork belly
• 3 shallot sliced thinly
• 2 tbsp of sundry baby shrimp optional
• 1 tbsp of minced garlic
• 5 dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked 2 hours in advance

A handful of bean sprout

• 3-5 Thai bird eye chilies optional
• 500 grams (1.1 lb) of pre-cooked noodles (preferably Taiwanese Rice Noodles)
• 2-3 baby bok choy
• 1.5 tbsp of soy sauce
• 1.5 tbsp of oyster sauce
• 1 tbsp of OX sauce, if you skip this ingredient, you have to use 1/2 tbsp more oyster sauce
• 2 tsp of dark soy sauce INSTRUCTIONS

1. Dice the skinless pork belly and set it aside. Pork belly provides the oil for cooking. If you change to a lean cut, you have to add more cooking oil or butter. You can also use thick cuts of bacon as a replacement but you will have to adjust the saltiness in this recipe.
2. Slice shallots thinly, soaked dried shitake mushrooms thinly. Mince 1 tbsp of garlic, cut open a few Thai bird-eye chilies. Slice the stem part of the baby bok choy smaller and cut the leaves part in half. Rinse a handful of bean sprouts.
3. Combined the soy sauce, oyster sauce，dark soy sauce and the XO sauce. Set it aside.
4. Heat up your wok and stir the diced pork belly over medium heat to render the fat out. Remove the pork from the wok and leave the oil behind.
5. Turn the heat back on medium. Use the oil to fry the shallots until the edge of the shallots is golden. Add the minced garlic. Keep stirring until the shallots and garlic are completely golden.
6. Add the sun-dried baby shrimp, shitake mushroom slices, and the Thai bird eye chilies. Stir for a couple of minutes to activate the flavor and the aroma. Add the stem part of the baby bok choy. Keep cooking until the bok choy stem is a little bit soft.
7. Add the noodles, fried pork belly, bean sprout and the leaf part of the baby bok choy. Pour in the sauce. Switch to a pair of tongs to fluff the noodles. Rice noodles like to stick to the bottom of the wok so just do your best to mix all the seasonings before the noodles get stuck. If they do get stuck, you can add a splash of water to lubricate everything. Enjoy!