Cellophane Noodles with Pork and Thai Basil Recipe

Cellophane noodles tossed with crisp bits of ground meat, and a tart fish sauce dressing.

By
Chichi Wang
Chichi Wang: Contributing Writer at Serious Eats
Chichi Wang

Chichi Wang wrote a variety of columns for Serious Eats including The Butcher's Cuts, in addition to other stories. Born in Shanghai and raised in New Mexico, Chichi took her degree in philosophy but decided that writing about food would be more fun than writing about Plato.

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Updated May 15, 2019
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Made from mung beans, yam, or potato starch, these gluten-free cellophane noodles are quite versatile. They can be served in soups and hotpots, used in stir-fries in place of wheat noodles, or served cold in salads. Here, they're tossed with garlicky ground meat and dressed with a mixture of fish sauce, sesame oil, and vinegar. It's a light and satisfying stir-fry, ready in fifteen minutes.

Recipe Details

Cellophane Noodles with Pork and Thai Basil Recipe

Active 30 mins
Total 30 mins
Serves 4 servings

Ingredients

  • 3 bundles cellophane noodles, about 9 ounces

  • 10 ounces ground pork, beef, or chicken

  • 1 tablespoon oil

  • 2 garlic cloves, minced

  • 1/2 teaspoon dried red chile flakes

  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

To Dress the Noodles:

  • 1 teaspoon fish sauce (or more, depending on saltiness)

  • 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil

  • 1/2 teaspoon sugar

  • 2 teaspoons rice vinegar

  • 1 teaspoon garlic chili paste, optional

  • Finely sliced bird's eye chiles, optional

To Garnish:

  • Bean spouts, parboiled

  • Finely chopped cilantro

  • Finely chopped Thai basil

Directions

  1. To cook the pork, heat the oil in a wok and add the red chili pepper flakes and garlic, cooking until garlic begins to brown. Add the pork and salt and stir-fry until pork is just cooked through, about 2 minutes. Turn the stove off and set aside.

  2. In the meantime, bring a medium-sized pot of water to boil. Add the dried bundles of cellophane noodles cover the pot. Turn off the heat and let the noodles soften in the water, no longer than 10 minutes. Remove the noodles from the pot and drain in a colander.

  3. Add the noodles and the ingredients for the dressing to the wok and toss everything together. Add the beansprouts if you are using.

  4. Garnish with Thai basil and cilantro. Serve warm or tepid.

Special equipment

Wok

This Recipe Appears In

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
259 Calories
15g Fat
13g Carbs
16g Protein
×
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories 259
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 15g 20%
Saturated Fat 4g 22%
Cholesterol 50mg 17%
Sodium 423mg 18%
Total Carbohydrate 13g 5%
Dietary Fiber 1g 4%
Total Sugars 1g
Protein 16g
Vitamin C 2mg 11%
Calcium 26mg 2%
Iron 1mg 8%
Potassium 270mg 6%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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