Taiwanese Spaghetti

We've been on a Taiwanese food kick lately, with our favorites being the pork chop rice at Old Country Cafe, breakfast at JJ's and Four Seas and random hole-in-the-walls that serve up tasty noodles and onion pancakes. There is something nostalgic about these Taiwanese food places and the comfort it brings when eating a big ol' bowl of beef noodle soup.

When I saw this recipe on Steamy Kitchen, I was super excited to try and recreate a quick and easy home-style Taiwanese dish that we can make in less than 30 minutes. We adjusted the measurements substantially, finally coming to an agreement on a sauce that Ray felt had the right "Taiwanese flavor." We recommend the addition of sesame oil and fried shallots on top for added umami and depth to the dish. Overall, it was super yummy and makes for great leftovers! We will definitely be turning to this recipe the next time we need a quick dinner. Serve it alongside your favorite greens like Chinese broccoli or gai lan for a complete meal.

Taiwanese Spaghetti
adapted from Steamy Kitchen

Ingredients
1 pound noodles or rice of your choice
1/2 cup chicken broth 
4 tablespoons oyster sauce
4 teaspoon soy sauce soy sauce 
3 teaspoon Chinese black vinegar
1/2 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder 
3 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon sesame oil
2 teaspoons cooking oil 
1/2 onion, chopped 
1 pound ground pork (or ground beef/chicken/turkey) 
2 cloves garlic, finely minced 
One 8-ounce can bamboo shoots, drained and diced 
4 ounces fresh shiitake mushrooms, diced 
1 stalk green onion, chopped 
Fried shallots

Directions
Cook the noodles or rice according to package instructions. Drain. In a small bowl, combine the chicken broth, oyster sauce, soy sauce, vinegar, five spice powder, sesame oil and brown sugar. Set aside.

Heat a wok over medium-high heat. When hot, swirl in the cooking oil. Add in the onion and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the ground meat and cook for 2 minutes. Push aside the onion and ground beef to one side of the wok to create a small spot to fry the garlic. Add in the garlic and stir fry for a few seconds or until you begin smelling the garlic. Add in the bamboo shoots and mushrooms. Toss everything in the wok together. Pour in the broth/soy sauce mixture and bring to a simmer. Cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the green onions. Serve the ground beef mixture over the noodles or rice. Top with fried shallots.