Despite having an embarrassing amount of cookbooks on my shelves, my family’s favorite recipes are the ones I’ve riffed on from my Mom’s cooking. Earlier this summer, when we took a little vacation to visit parents, Mom made a Taiwanese noodle dish with a hearty meat sauce. To “sell” it to my kids, she called  it, “Taiwanese Spaghetti.” Though, in all honesty, meat + noodles need no selling to my kids, they’ll happily eat without reservation.

Taiwanese meat sauce is something nearly every Taiwanese mama cooks in weekly rotation, and it’s served over rice or noodles. It’s traditionally made with ground pork, Chinese black mushrooms and lots of shallots. The seasonings include warm Chinese five-spice powder, both dark and light soy sauce, black vinegar and a touch of brown sugar.

To make an easy version with everyday ingredients from the local supermarket, I’ve made a few substitutions.

How to cook Taiwanese Noodles with Meat Sauce (video)

Short 2 minute video on how to make this recipe.

Full written recipe is below!