Spicy garlic noodles with ground pork and bok choy are ready in just 20 minutes – even faster than delivery! They’re perfect for slurping on National Garlic Day (today!) or any night of the week.
One weekend last fall, Shawn and I were looking for something fun to do and randomly ended up at a garlic festival in Vermont. It was amazing – definitely one of the highlights of last year! Even though it was pretty small as far as festivals go, there was tons going on and we spent hours there listening to local bands, browsing at the vendor stalls, and sharing tons of awesome garlicky food made by local restaurants and food trucks.
Three foods stand out in my mind as being exceptionally delicious: funnel cakes topped with maple cream (not garlicky, but so “Vermont”), switchel (a drink made with ginger, vinegar, and maple syrup that I loved and Shawn hated), and spicy garlic pork dumplings (exactly what they sound like). I started dreaming of those dumplings when I was brainstorming recipes to share for National Garlic Day and thought I’d try recreating them at home.
Then I decided to make spicy garlic noodles instead – dumplings and potstickers are easy to make, but I’ve been trying to focus on weeknight recipes lately and even I’m not crazy enough to tackle a project like that after work.
These noodles only take 20 minutes to make, but they’re jam-packed with flavor. The garlic adds lots of spicy flavor without adding heat; adjust the amount of chili paste depending on how hot you want them (I used 3 tablespoons and my lips were tingling but I wasn’t quite reaching for my water glass.)
Spicy Garlic Noodles with Pork
Ingredients
- 16 ounces b]udon noodles[/b], preferably [homemade
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 2-3 tablespoons sambal oelek (chili paste)
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 large garlic cloves, minced (about 3 tablespoons)
- 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
- 1 pound lean ground pork
- 2 piece baby bok choy, cut into quarters
- 4 scallions, sliced
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the udon noodles according to the directions on the package. Drain.
- Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix the chicken stock, soy sauce, vinegar, samba olek, and sesame oil. Set aside.
- Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan set over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook 2-3 minutes, or until it begins to soften. Stir in the ginger and cook 1 minute. Add the pork and cook for 5 minutes, or until nearly cooked through. Pour off and discard and liquid that has accumulated in the pan.
- Push the pork to one side of the pan and add the bok choy to the other side. Cook 2-3 minutes, until the bok choy begins to wilt. Reduce the heat to medium and add the sauce. Cover and cook 3-5 minutes, or until the pork and bok choy are cooked through.
- Mix in the cooked udon noodles and top with scallions.
Recipe Notes
Look for fresh noodles in the produce section of bigger supermarkets or at Asian markets. They cook quickly and have an amazing chewy texture that I prefer to dried noodles.
| Nutrition Facts | |
|---|---|
| Serving Size | |
| Amount Per Serving | As Served |
| Calories 676kcal Calories from fat 126 | |
| % Daily Value | |
| Total Fat 14g | 22% |
| Saturated Fat 3g | 15% |
| Transfat 0g | |
| Cholesterol 69mg | 23% |
| Sodium 854mg | 36% |
| Carbohydrate 94g | 31% |
| Dietary Fiber 5g | 20% |
| Sugars 5g | |
| Protein 43g | |
Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs:
| Calories | 2000 | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Fat | Less than | 65g |
| Sat Fat | Less than | 25g |
| Cholesterol | Less than | 300mg |
| Sodium | Less than | 2,400mg |
| Total Carbohydrate | 300g | |
| Dietary Fiber | 25g | |
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Garlic everything! These noodles look so good and I’m totally make them. They are the perfect weeknight meal.
I am in line with all the other commenters. My kind of a dish—–I love garlic—–enough zip to make you sit up a little straighter in your chair—-simple. Love it.
I adore garlic! And bok choy, this dish looks incredible Lauren!
I love that this dish comes together so quickly. I’m all for noodle slurping. Yum!
Thank you so much for putting out all these recipes for everyone to try. I made the French Toast last week and looking forward to making the garlic noodles they look great. I know you work very hard at your web page, thank you!!!! I have been to the Garlic Festival in Gilroy, CA. These type of food festivals are fantastic. If ever in Wisconsin in the summer, make sure you get to Door County for a Belgian Kermis. It is a Belgian Kurmis in Brussells, WI. Belgian pies, jut, several types of sausage including potato sausage and cabbage sausage. Belgian pies are made with a sweet thick (almost bread type) doe then filled with different types of fruit and then topped with a sweet creamed cheese. Grandma Rosie always said that Belgian pies were proof God loved Belgians best. I know she was right, and that coming from a German boy. Thanks again for all your work.
Enough heat to make the lips tingle sounds about perfect to me. Bok choy is so underrated. I love it in this noodle dish.
This looks terrific. My kind of noodle dish. Love udon noodles!
a garlic festival!?! sounds cool
I’ve been to that garlic festival – it was a great time seeing and tasting all of the creative ways to use garlic! These noodles sound fantastic!
This is exactly the kind of dish that my husband and I love. Quick and full of flavor. I would gobble up that bok choy so quickly, one of my faves.
oo my, ready in 20 minutes plus all of those amazing flavors? I need this for dinner like asap Oh my gosh and a garlic festival? I want to go!!
I’m totally DROOLING over here! These look so tasty, and much easier than making dumplings on a weeknight. YUM!
Gosh I wish I was at that garlic festival in Vermont. I find those fresh purplish garlic bulbs to be sensational. So hard to find them here & if I do they cost a fortune. The garlicky noodles look fantastic as well as all your dumpling and other garlicky ideas.
This sounds REALLY REALLY good! I LOOOOVE that you made an easy recipe, I need more of these in my life!!
What a fun and flavorful dish. I’m loving the spicy garlic sound of these noodles and I love that they’re spicy but not enough to cause a fire in my mouth. I really need to cook with bok choy. You’ve inspired me. Thanks.
Wow… looks so good! I love dishes like this.
This is my kind of noodles, udon, sambel and baby bok choy! So fantastic. My husband would have totally dragged me to the garlic festival. He cannot get enough of it.
Garlic festivals are such fun! Your noodle dish would be a hit at ours!
Those noodles are simply beautiful. LOVe the photos! LOVE Asian flavors. What a wonderful use of garlic!
I love that you got to go to a garlic festival! These noodles look so good – I’m either going to make it myself or have my son-in-law make it for us……he’s better at Asian cooking than me. I’m so sorry there was something wrong with your link this morning! But it’s all fixed now!
Why hello delicious! I would love to have this for dinner today.
This is going on my to make list…..it is a perfect weeknight meal!
OH, I’m SO jealous, I have always wanted to go to a garlic festival. All of those things sound amazing…I love funnel cakes even though there’s no garlic ;). THese noodles sound like the perfect dish, I want to be slurping a bowl full right this minute.
ADORE this, and absolutely love the baby bok choy in there. Pinning!