Tainan Noodles Recipe (4-Ingredients Asian Noodles) (2024)

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A flavorful Chinese noodle dish made with simple ingredients and seasonings. This Tainan noodles recipe is the perfect last-minute recipe idea on busy nights. It's an easy recipe for when you are not in the mood for cooking, but don't want to eat canned food.

This Asian noodle dish recipe is inspired by one of the noodle products sold at Costco, Tainan-style noodles by Asha. It has the perfect seasoning made of soy sauce, sugar, and sesame oil.

You can serve this dry Tainan noodle by itself or with the toppings of your choice, such as egg or rotisserie chicken. Either way, these Tainan noodles will satisfy your hunger without extra work, and an added bonus is that it’s very budget-friendly.

Tainan Noodles Recipe (4-Ingredients Asian Noodles) (1)

This easy dry noodles recipe can be ready and on the dinner table in about 15 minutes. No chopping, no stir-frying, and very little preparation! The perfect easy meal for college students!

Don't throw away your leftovers, as you can pack this noodle dish for lunch or put it in the freezer to extend its shelf life.

Tainan Noodles Recipe (4-Ingredients Asian Noodles) (2)

Tainan Noodles Ingredients:

For best results, use fresh Chinese lo-mein style noodles (the same noodles that people use to make Dan Dan noodles). I understand that many of you may not have access to Asian dried pasta, so spaghetti or even tagliatelle would work great. If you are going to use dried pasta, be sure to add about ¼ teaspoon of baking soda per quart of water when cooking the pasta. It will give it a bouncier texture, and a flavor that’s similar to Chinese noodles.

Please note that noodle brands vary so much from one to the next. For that reason, you may need to make a few adjustments on the recipe ingredients to reach the desired taste.

Tainan Noodles Recipe (4-Ingredients Asian Noodles) (3)

Now, let's talk about the seasoning. The noodle is seasoned with soy sauce, sesame oil, and sugar. So simple, isn't it?

To add an extra kick of spiciness, feel free to add your favorite hot sauce to this dish. Sriracha sauce or Sichuan chili oil both work quite nicely.

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How to Make this Tainan Noodle Dish:

As I mentioned above, this dish doesn't require cooking skills nor a long cooking time. You only need to cook the pasta until al dente, then mix it in with the soy-based seasoning.

Tainan Noodles Recipe (4-Ingredients Asian Noodles) (4)

I've tried this recipe using different types of noodles and always had to make small adjustments to the amount of soy sauce and sugar. Therefore, I am going to list a lesser amount of those ingredients as a starting point for the noodles. If you think they still need some extra seasoning, feel free to adjust the amount of soy sauce, sugar, or salt until you reach your desire taste.

Another important thing to remember is that it's better to let the noodles soak in the soy sauce and absorb those wonderful flavors for a few minutes before serving.

I really hope that you'll enjoy this basic yet flavorful noodle dish recipe.

📖 Recipe

Tainan Noodles

Rika

A flavorful Chinese noodle dish made with simple ingredients and seasonings. This Asian comfort food, Tainan noodles recipe is the perfect last-minute recipe idea on busy nights or when you are not in the mood for cooking.

5 from 9 votes

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Prep Time 3 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Course Main Dish

Cuisine Chinese

Servings 2

Calories 207 kcal

Ingredients

  • 3 oz noodles, (Lo-mein style noodles, thin noodles or Spaghetti)
  • ¾ - 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • ½ teaspoon white sugar
  • 2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
  • salt and pepper, (to taste)

Optional Toppings:

  • chopped green onions

Instructions

  • Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook the noodles according to the package instructions.

    Note: If you are going to use dried pasta, be sure to add about ¼ teaspoon of baking soda per quart of water when cooking the pasta.

  • In a medium-size bowl, whisk togethersoy sauce, sugar, and sesame oil.

  • Drain the noodles and transfer to a bowl. Toss to coat the noodles with sauce. Taste and adjust the ingredients or use salt/pepper as needed.

    Let the noodles soak in the soy sauce and absorb those wonderful flavors for a few minutes before serving.

  • Serve with chopped green onions or any toppings of your choice. Enjoy!

Notes

If more soy sauce is needed, add by small increments of 1 teaspoon at a time. To add saltiness to the dish, just add a small amount of salt. Do not go overboard with soy sauce or all you’ll taste is soy sauce.

If more sugar is needed, add by small increments of ¼ teaspoon at a time.

Nutrition

Calories: 207kcalCarbohydrates: 34gProtein: 7gFat: 5gSaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 882mgPotassium: 128mgFiber: 1gSugar: 2gCalcium: 9mgIron: 1mg

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Tainan Noodles Recipe (4-Ingredients Asian Noodles) (2024)

FAQs

What ingredients are Asian noodles usually made from? ›

Traditionally, Asian noodles are made with flour milled from common wheat, rice flour, or starch from a tuber or bean. Because traditional Asian noodles use softer flours and starches than pasta, most noodles employ salt as a binding agent, whereas Italian pasta typically forgoes salt.

What are the ingredients in a sha tainan style noodles? ›

Noodle Ingredients: Wheat Flour, Water, Salt. Sauce Packet Ingredients: Soy Sauce (Water, Sugar, Salt, Soybean, Wheat, Caramel Color, Yeast Extract, Malic Acid), White Sesame Oil (Soybean Oil, Sesame Oil).

What ingredients do some chefs used to make Asian noodles? ›

Asian noodles can be made with rice, yam, and mung bean in addition to wheat flour, and even that wheat is a different variety than the durum wheat used in pasta. All of these differences in texture and flavor mean you usually can't substitute an Italian pasta for an Asian noodle.

What are the main ingredients in Chinese noodles? ›

Chinese noodles are generally made from either wheat flour, rice flour, or mung bean starch, with wheat noodles being more commonly produced and consumed with the ancient wooden noodles mold technology in northern China and rice noodles being more typical of southern China.

What noodle is used in Lo Mein? ›

Despite their differences, chow mein and lo mein dishes are both made with Chinese egg noodles, which are wheat flour noodles with egg added. While lo mein requires fresh egg noodles, chow mein can be made with either fresh or dried egg noodles.

What are Korean noodles made of? ›

Noodles in Korea can be made from sweet potato starch, wheat flour, buckwheat, corn flour, rice flour, and acorn flour to name a few. In general, a number of Korean noodle dishes offer a variation on the meats, broths, vegetables, and noodles used.

Where did tainan noodles come from? ›

Ta-a mi (Chinese: 擔仔麵; pinyin: dànzǎimiàn; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: tàⁿ-á-mī; lit. 'shoulder pole noodle'), also known as Ta-a noodles or danzai noodles, is a type of snack found in Tainan, Taiwan. Also known as "Slack Season Ta-a Noodles", they originated in Tainan (in southern Taiwan), about 130 years ago.

Why Chinese noodles are usually served with vinegar? ›

Black vinegar is used like soy sauce in vast regions of China. It's used as a dipping sauce, to flavour stir fry, soup and stew. When consumed, vinegar helps to break down starchy food such as noodles, wheat buns and white rice.

What are Japanese noodles made of? ›

Types of Japanese noodles. Ramen are thin, wheat-based noodles made from wheat flour, salt, water, and kansui, a form of alkaline water. The dough is risen before being rolled. They were imported from China during the Meiji period.

What are the skinny Chinese noodles called? ›

Vermicelli. While “vermicelli” is a term used to describe thin noodles across various global cuisines, rice vermicelli specifically (also called rice sticks) is a favorite in East and Southeast Asian cooking. The noodles are pale white, nearly translucent, and are most commonly sold dried in folded, crunchy bunches.

What is the difference between Chinese noodles and lo mein noodles? ›

Chow mein: thin, dried noodles that are parboiled for 5-6 minutes, and fried alongside veggies and meat. Lo mein: fat, chewy noodles that are boiled for a few minutes, then added to stir-fry after veggies and meat is cooked.

What are the crunchy Chinese noodles called? ›

Mein gon (面干 miàn-gān), informally referred to as crunchy noodles or crunchy chow mein, are a type of noodle-shaped cracker (or dried biscuit) used in American Chinese cuisine.

What is the major ingredient in noodles? ›

Its main ingredients are typically flour, starch, water, salt, and/or a salt substitute known as kansui, a type of alkaline mineral water that contains sodium carbonate and usually potassium carbonate. Palm oil is also a common ingredient in instant noodles as instant noodles were originally produced by flash frying.

What are the ingredients in Japanese noodles? ›

Types of Japanese noodles. Ramen are thin, wheat-based noodles made from wheat flour, salt, water, and kansui, a form of alkaline water. The dough is risen before being rolled. They were imported from China during the Meiji period.

What are traditional noodles made of? ›

Noodles in various contents, formulations, and shapes have been the staple foods for many Asian countries since ancient time. They can be made from wheat, rice, buckwheat, and starches derived from potato, sweet potato, and pulses.

What are thick Chinese noodles made of? ›

"thick noodles") are thick Chinese noodles made from wheat flour and water. Two types of Chinese noodles are called cumian. One is Shanghai style, thick in diameter, used in Shanghai fried noodles. The other type is Hong Kong style, flat and wide, sometimes yellow-alkaline.

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