Pork Intestine Noodles 大腸麵線
One of the first things I had when I moved to Taiwan, and one of the first things I eat whenever I go back.
Garnished with cilantro, minced garlic, chili oil, and Chinese black vinegar
Fresh Ingredients:
Pork Intestines, 150 g
Ginger, 4 slices
Shallots, 1 medium
Garlic, 4 cloves + extra for garnish
Cilantro, for garnish
Dry Ingredients:
Bonito Flakes, medium handful
Fried Shallots, large handful
Corn starch, as needed to thicken
Red Thin Noodles 紅麵線, 300 g
Liquids:
Light Soy Sauce, to taste
Dark Soy Sauce, to eye
Rice Wine, small splash
Chinese Black Vinegar, to taste
Chinese Chili Oil, to taste
Mise en place:
Flip intestines inside out to clean. Remove fat as desired. Once cleaned, soak in water, with a splash of vinegar, rice wine and couple slices of ginger for 30 min. Drain off, remove ginger, and rinse intestines with clean water. -
Dice shallots, mince garlic, mince ginger
Soak noodles in boiling water for 10 minutes
Process:
Braise the cleaned intestines in Chinese master stock. Simmer for 2 hours, then remove and slice to desired sized pieces. For those with no master stock, check ‘The Whys’ section below.
Heat a large pot over medium high heat. Add enough oil to thinly coat bottom of pot and add in minced ginger and diced shallots. Stir fry till fragrant.
Add in minced garlic and fried shallots. Stir fry until shallots are soft, lightly brown and garlic is fragrant.
Add in water and bonito flanks. Bring to boil, then lower heat and simmer for 30 minutes.
Drain off soaked noodles and add to pot. Simmer for 2 hours, or until noodles reach desired texture.
Bring noodles up to boil. In a small bowl, mix corn starch with room temp water. Slowly pour corn starch slurry into noodles, stirring constantly, until desired thickness is achieved.
Season with light and dark soy sauce to taste.
To serve, scoop noodles into bowl. Top with sliced intestines, cilantro, minced garlic, chili oil and Chinese black vinegar.
The Whys
Washing + soaking the intestines: pork intestines have a strong ‘odor’. It is important to wash them thoroughly to remove as much of that odor as possible so it does not taint the dish, and so the braising flavor can be soaked in properly. Soaking the intestines in vinegar and rice wine help remove the odor too.
Removing fat from the intestines: some people find intestines too rich because of the amount of fat that is inside. You can remove some fat to reduce the richness, but be sure not to remove too much or it’ll lose too much flavor and texture. Be careful not to tear the intestines either.
Braising the intestines: I would recommend using Chinese master stock to braise, as it imparts so much more flavor into the intestines. However, for those that do not have a master stock to braise with, you can braise the intestines in water, light + dark soy sauce, a small splash of rice wine and a couple slices of ginger. Braise for the same amount of time.
Fried shallots + fresh shallots: using fried shallots and fresh shallots is necessary. Fried shallots are very fragrant and has a slightly smokey aroma, and fresh shallots add sweetness and a difference fragrance.
Soaking the red noodles: the red noodles are naturally incredibly salty from the production process. Soaking the noodles in boiled water first will help remove a lot of the salt so the final product won’t be overly salted. Be sure to give the noodles a good rinse after they’re drained to remove as much of the salt as possible. You can always add more salt later, but you can’t take it out.