These Chinese fried noodles feature thinly sliced pork, cabbage, garlic, ginger, green onions, and a sauce that will make your mouth water! This Shanghai Noodles recipe is Chinese street food at its best. Quick and easy to make, it’s perfect for a weeknight meal.
For more delicious Chinese takeout recipes be sure to try our Mongolian Chicken, Kung Pao Chicken, General Tso’s Chicken, and Chinese Beef and Broccoli!
Shanghai, China. The most populated city in the world. Bustling with tourists, it is also a major port town, financial hub, business and commerce center, and cultural hotspot. Amidst the ever-changing dynamics of this global city, one thing remains constant: Noodles are the way of life.
Plump, handmade noodles are the preference and have been for centuries. Watching Chinese noodle-makers at work in food stalls along the streets of Shanghai, pulling dough and chopping with cleavers at lightening speed is truly awe-inspiring. And whatever variations of noodles are served, the most popular remain ones based on rich brown sauces such as the one featured in this authentic recipe. Not encumbered with a lot other ingredients, the central feature of this dish is, of course, the noodles. Simple, quick, and satisfying…just what a large city dweller needs.
These Shanghai Noodles are fast, easy, and positively mouth-watering. I’m confident you’re going to love them as much as we do!
Shanghai Noodles Recipe
Let’s get started!
Shanghai Noodles use pork, but you can substitute chicken, beef or shrimp. Marinate the pork for at least 10 minutes.
Cut up the green onions and Napa cabbage (keeping the green parts and firmer white parts separate. They’re going to be cooked separately so the more tender parts aren’t over-done). Thinly slice the garlic.
Fry the pork in a wok or heavy pan over high heat for a couple of minutes, setting the reserved marinade aside.
I like to use avocado oil for high heat cooking.  Unlike most other oils like vegetable and peanut oil that oxidize at lower heats (oxidation = free radicals/unhealthy), avocado oil has a very high smoke point.
Remove the pork and set aside. Next cook the white parts of the green onions and cabbage along with the garlic for about 30 seconds or until tender.
Add the green parts of the cabbage and green onions and cook for another 30 seconds.
Return the pork to the pan along with the reserved marinade, the sesame oil, and the chicken stock/cornstarch mixture.
Stir to combine and cook for 30 seconds.
Add the cooked noodles and stir to coat.
Serve immediately.
Enjoy!
For more delicious Chinese takeout recipes, be sure to try our:
- Mongolian Chicken
- Mongolian Beef
- Orange Chicken
- Kung Pao Chicken
- Beef and Broccoli
- General Tso’s Chicken
- Sweet and Sour Chicken
- Orange Beef
- Sesame Chicken
Shanghai Noodles (Cu Chao Mian)
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup dark soy sauce (see Note)
- 1/4 cup oyster sauce
- vegans: use hoisin sauce
- recipe for homemade hoisin sauce
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh ginger , finely minced
- 1 lb pork tenderloin , sliced thinly (vegetarian/vegan: use tofu following directions from Kung Pao Chicken recipe at https://www.daringgourmet.com/2013/01/08/30/)
- 1 lb thick round Chinese egg noodles (can substitute Japanese udon noodles) , cooked according to package instructions (fresh noodles are even better, in which case cut the sauce in half because the fresh noodles weigh more) (vegans: use wheat noodles)
- 2 tablespoons high heat cooking oil
- 4 cloves garlic , sliced thinly
- 6 green onions , cut into 1-inch pieces and then julienned lengthwise (keep green and white parts separate)
- 1/2 head Napa cabbage , thinly sliced (white and pale green parts kept separate)
- 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch dissolved in 1 cup chicken stock
- 1 1/2 tablespoons sesame oil
- Ground white pepper to taste
Instructions
- To make the marinade, combine the soy sauce, oyster sauce, sugar and ginger and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Place the pork in the marinade and let sit for 10 minutes. Drain and reserve the marinade for later.
- Heat the oil in a wok or heavy skillet on high heat and fry the pork for one minute or until done. Remove the pork and set aside. Next fry the white parts of the cabbage and green onions along with the garlic for 30 seconds or until tender. Return the pork to the pan along with the reserved marinade, the sesame oil, chicken/cornstarch mixture and the green parts of the cabbage and green onions. Cook for 30 seconds. Add the noodles and stir until combined. Add white pepper to taste. Serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
Originally published on The Daring Gourmet on January 23, 2013
Amanda says
The family absolutely loved this, quick and easy!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Woohoo, I’m so glad, Amanda, thank you! :)
robert jarnell says
Hi Kimberly,
love Chinese food, your recipe looks great. To days a holiday, down side is my wife wants my to cook it NOW!!
best
bob
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Lol, thanks, Bob! Happy cooking! :)
Kim Fern says
I made this tonight. It was fantastic!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
You lost no time, Kim! :) I’m so thrilled you enjoyed it, thank you!
Anonymous says
It was so good!!! Even my 5 year old kid loved it!!! I am going to share it with everyone
Emily says
Made this a couple weeks ago and it is delicious! We used soba noodles and it came out great. Also added some extra veggies (broccoli) and a spoonful of black bean sauce. I had some galangal on hand to use in place of ginger. I’ll be making this again tonight using the sauce recipe and pre-cooked leftover pork tenderloin. Thanks for posting the recipe!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Fantastic, Emily, thanks for the feedback!
Dan Malleck says
This sounds good and I’m going to use your sauce in my quest to reproduce what I enjoyed repeatedly in Shanghai. However, I want to make a few process observations. First, classic street noodles do not involve marinated meat; it’s raw pork or shrimp/prawns or chicken cooked in the wok along with everything else. Second, you do not remove things from the pan, it is just adding and stirring. And it’s fast. It goes like this: begin with a bit of oil, stir in an egg, then the meat/tofu, a splash of the sauce, then add garlic and ginger, and then your noodles, all the while stirring in between each addition. Add your veg, a bit more sauce to taste, any pepper if you want some heat. Then you’re done. It takes like two minutes and is much less involved than this process, but constant, frenetic stirring. BTW, Shanghai street food vendors have high heat gas burners the likes of which we just don’t see in North America, so it’s constant stirring to keep from burning. It’s awesome.
Noah says
Hey Dan! Your method sounds amazing + very authentic! I’ll give it a go tonight! Any additional adjustments since your post?
Katie says
Easy to do. Delicious noodles. My husband love it :)
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Fantastic, Katie, thank you!
Tara says
Used udon noodles, sliced pork cops, and minced garlic from a jar. Fantastic! Hubs and son devoured it. Glad I served myself first!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Fantastic, Tara, thank you!
Traci says
This was amazing. I made it last night as the bf has a strong love for Shanghai noodles. They were a huge success. Thank you so much, will definitely be making again!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Awesome, Traci, I’m so happy to hear that, thank you!
Judah says
Is the taste of the oyster sauce strong in this dish? I haven’t cooked with oyster sauce brfore and don’t have any at home. Just want to know if it is really strong before I buy any. My mom isn’t a fan of the fishy taste.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Judah! I can’t stand strong fishy tastes either and no, the flavor of the oyster sauce isn’t strong at all. Alternatively you can use hoisin sauce which is seafood-free and has a really great flavor as well.
Corrie Catarra says
This was really good. Just wondering….can I freeze it after it is made? It made a lot more than we could eat. I used rice noodles and it is my first time using those so I am not certain if this will freeze well.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Corrie, so glad you liked it! Rice noodles, like most gluten free noodles, generally don’t freeze very well. Once thawed their texture becomes mushy. I would just refrigerate it for up to 3 days and finish it off.
amy says
I’ve had this recipe sitting on my Pinterest for quite a while and a few weeks ago, the pork was on sale so bought it.
I decided to make it tonight. I’ve only made one other Asian dish before and I did not grow up eating this type of food so I was pretty intimidated. It was easier than I thought, I think I used too much chicken broth because it seemed too soupy, but other than that it was very good and even better, my husband had seconds! Tasty and simple. Thanks!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Amy, I’m glad it was a hit – and I’m especially glad to hear that you stifled your fears and made the dish, hooray! If it was too soupy it sounds like you may not have let the broth/cornstarch mixture simmer quite long enough to allow it to thicken. Next time you’ll have it down like a pro :) Thanks so much for the feedback! Best, Kimberly
mom2abc says
peanut oil has a 33% polyunsaturated profile, more than avocado, but hardly in the realm of of sunflower or corn oil. unrefined avocado does not have a 480 F smoke point from all the sources that I’ve looked at. And I wanted to love avocado oil, its great when freshly opened, but I’ve found it develops off flavors much more quickly than my other oils. I do not like to cook at high temperatures often, oils aside, high temperature cooking of either carbohydrates or proteins create carcinogens, regardlless of oil used. There’s just no getting around that.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Your first statement is correct – which is why peanut, sunflower and corn oil really should all be avoided along with a host of other oils. Refined avocado oil’s smoke point: Again, I’m not sure what sources you’re referring to, but both refined and unrefined avocado oils have high smoke points. Avocado oil is quite exceptional in that respect. In my experience it’s virtually flavorless and keeps well, but as for its freshness, I would imagine that varies from brand to brand. I’m currently using the Chosen Foods brand that is sold at Costco for about the best price I’ve found. As for high-heat cooking in general, I agree, we don’t do it very often either (eg, deep-frying). On a side note, the fact is the best “oil” for high-heat cooking is animal fat/lard. We now know (and the FDA has finally squeaked out a sheepish acknowledgment to the fact) that saturated fat isn’t the villain it’s been made out to be for many decades, but it’s still going to take a while before our food culture and grocery stores reflect that.
mom2abc says
actually, only avocado oil that has been highly refined can be used in high temperature frying, unrefined (which is where the antioxidants are) has a much lower smoking point and is only suitably used in salad dressing.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
That is incorrect. Both refined and unrefined avocado oil have an incredibly high smoke point (unrefined: 480 degrees, refined: 520 degrees). It’s an excellent oil for high heat cooking, whether refined or not.
mom2abc says
why is peanut oil carcinogenic and not avocado oil? they are both a mono-saturated fat just like olive oil….
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Peanut oil is primarily comprised of poly-unsaturated fats and that’s where the problem lies. Take a look at the following article for a breakdown of the chemical composition of peanut, avocado, olive, and all the other commonly used oils for cooking: A Comprehensive Guide To Cooking Oils: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly