Hand Torn Taiwanese Noodle Soup

This weekend we hosted a Taiwanese-inspired dinner party with the OMNI Dinner Club for Kids. It was a huge honor to cook for the kids and to work with Lin and Tracy on the menu. 

When I’d first gotten wind of the opportunity, I’d thought, “Cooking for a room full of hungry kids is going to be madness.”

I was right. It was madness. But by the end of the night, I was wishing it would never end.

Taiwan has such a rich culture, especially around food. So when it came time to pick options for the kids’ menu, we were spoilt for choice. The recipes we tried were amazing, unique and absolutely delicious.

I went home that evening inspired to create this flavorful Hand-Torn Pork Noodle Soup. After a long shower and an even longer night of sleep, of course.

Hand torn noodle soup is a cozy Taiwanese comfort dish. This version is a bit less traditional and is made with ingredients that I know you have in your pantry (Don’t argue with me. I checked!)

Anything you don’t have can be easily picked up at your local supermarket or Asian grocery store.

This dish comes together in about 20 minutes, but tastes like you spent hours in the kitchen. And honestly, making the hand torn noodles doesn’t take much time or skill. All you need to do is make some dough then tear it all up.

It’s almost therapeutic.

I used mushrooms and pork for this recipe, but this soup also pairs well with some chicken, beef or shrimp. Whatever your choice, you will not be disappointed.

Preparation

1.      For the dough, mix together half of the flour and salt into the water. Knead and continue to mix in the rest of the flour.

2.       Knead dough for about a minute until a ball is formed. Coat the dough with oil, cover and let rest for 15 minutes, while you make the soup.

3.       For the soup, peel and dice potatoes. Pour 3 cups of water into a pot, add pork belly, mushrooms and diced potatoes. Bring to a boil on high heat, then add salt, pepper, scallions, carrots and soy sauce.

4.       Roll out the dough and cut into small piece to make the noodles. Add noodles into the soup and continue to cook for 2 minutes, or until the noodle floats. Add salt and sesame oil to taste.

5.       Add the remaining ½ cup of water as the noodles will soak up the soup while they cook.

6.       Add cabbage & turn off the heat.

7.       Garnish with toppings of choice and enjoy!