Bored of the red tomato sauce pasta? Mix up your meals with these Asian ground beef noodles. It is loaded with Asian flavors, ginger, soy sauce, spring onion and Chinese dark vinegar, etc. This a quick yet satisfying one-pot meal recipe to simplify your weeknights.
How do you make these ground beef noodles?
The ground beef is pan-fried to bring out the flavor and then seasoned with soy sauce, grated ginger, and white pepper powder. Corn flour is to thicken the sauce. And add some drops of Chinese dark vinegar and chilli oil to your plate, it is a taste of heaven! 🙂
Recipe notes:
- Add the soy sauce to the pan-fried beef and stir fry for 10 seconds to caramelize the soy sauce and bring out the toasty and sweet flavors.
- I found the Vermicelli pasta has a similar texture to the Chinese hand-pulled noodles. But you can use any noodles for this recipe.
FAQs:
Q: What is white pepper powder?
A: White pepper is the extract of Piper nigrum, a berry in the peppercorn family that grows in India and Sri Lanka. The black peppercorns come from the same plant but are picked early before ripening, producing a slightly less aromatic and more delicate flavour. It is widely used in Chinese cuisine for a clean and light spiciness without being too overwhelming. Yes, you can replace the white pepper powder with black pepper powder in this recipe.
Q: Is corn flour the same as corn starch?
A: Yes, in this recipe the corn flour is the corn starch. It is for thickening the sauce.
Q: What is Chinese black vinegar?
A: Chinese black vinegar is made from glutinous rice, sweet rice, and wheat. Several varieties of Chinese black vinegar are available on the market, which vary in color and flavor. We usually use the yellow label one called ZhenJiang vinegar.
Q: Where can I get the Chinese chili oil?
A: You can make chili oil at home. For ready-made ones, Laoganma Chilli Oil is widely available in Chinese grocery stores.
Q: Why add vinegar and chili oil after cooking?
A: This dish caters to the whole family, considering that children may not appreciate the strong flavors of vinegar and chili. The use of these ingredients also depends on personal preferences.
Enjoy these delicious Asian ground beef noodles!
Asian Ground Beef Noodles
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon oil
- 250 g ground beef
- 2 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon grated ginger
- 2 teaspoon White pepper powder (adjust to your liking)
- 2 tablespoon corn flour (also called Corn starch)
- 2 tablespoon spring onion (chopped)
- 120 g vermicelli (more or less for two)
- 2 tablespoon Chinese dark vinegar (optional)
- 2 tablespoon Chinese chilli oil (optional)
Instructions
- In a sauce pan heat the oil and ground beef over medium heat. Break the meat apart. Cook until slightly browned.
- Add in the grated ginger and soy sauce, and stir fry for 10-15 seconds. Add 1 cup of water and white pepper powder. Put a lid on and simmer for 10 minutes. Add more water if it evaporates too much. (time to cook the noodles)
- Boil the noodles in a large pot of boiling salted water according to packet instructions until al dente. Remove; strain and set aside.
- Mix the corn flour with 1/2 cup of water and pour into the beef sauce. Stir until evenly thickening.
- Toss in the cooked noodles and then serve with spring onions on the top. Add the Chinese dark vinegar and chilli oil if desired.
Recipe Notes:
- Add the soy sauce to the pan-fried beef and stir fry for 10 seconds to caramelize the soy sauce and bring out the toasty and sweet flavors.
- I found the Vermicelli pasta has a similar texture to the Chinese hand-pulled noodles. But you can use any noodles for this recipe.
Nutrition Information:
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made this many times, usually add onion and mushrooms
Okay I’ve never cooked in grams but I do have a large family and would like to make this for 8 people. How much meat and noodles would I need?
For 8 people, you’ll need about 1.2 to 1.6 kg of meat and 600 to 800 grams of noodles, depending on how much they can eat—it can vary too.
Asian ground beef noodles
I want to cook the recipe for my grandchildren, how many oz of pasta l can’t figure out 120g?
One ounce is equal to 28 grams, so if you round it to about 30 grams, then 120 grams is roughly 4 ounces.
Hi, I was wonder do I add the cook noodle into the meat sauce? Or put noodle on separate plate then add meat sauce on top of that? I saw your pic of the plated portion…just was curious. Thank u.
If you’re only serving one or two, you can add the noodles directly to the sauce. For a family where some members prefer more sauce and others less, serve the sauce separately so everyone can adjust their portion to their liking.
Would rice noodles be good with this recipe or do you recommend angel pasta?
Angel pasta works the best, but the rice noodles can be good too 😊 but probably not working well with vinegar.
Hi, I haven’t made this yet as I had a question. When I see “chili” in a recipe I automatically wonder if it is hot spicy. I myself love hot but my 87 year old father cannot. Is there a way to make it not hot spicy?
Thank you,
Kirsten
You don’t need to add the chili oil. Its optional.
Made it tonight and while it was tasty, I thought a cup of water was too much for a half pound of beef. There was certainly no danger of it “evaporating too much”, LOL.
That’s what cornstarch for. So it won’t be too watery.🙂
Excellent recipe! No modifications needed. I’m excited to make this again!
Delicious! I’ve been looking for more ground beef recipes, and this recipe is a winner. My entire family loves it.
Thank you! It’s great to hear that!
Hello! When do you recommend adding the Chinese dark vinegar/balsamic vinegar and chili oil? Does it go in at the very end as you’re serving it? Or should it be added at another point in the cooking process? Thanks!
I usually put both sauces on the table, and people can choose which one they like and add it to their food.
Maybe add frozen peas or sautéed broccoli or Bok Choy?
You might want these to be the side dishes. It supposes to be a bit meaty.
This was amazing and easy to prepare. The balsamic vinegar really gives it a zing!
Delicious! Would have been even better if I had ginger! I will definitely make it again with the ginger. I added garlic and used beef broth instead of water and half the amount of pepper and it was just what I needed tonight. Savory and wonderful comfort food!
A wonderful recipe, came out delicious!
Used gf spaghetti. I would have preferred rice noodles, but we’re out.
Can I substitute scallions for spring onions? Is there a big difference?
They are pretty similar. We call them all spring onion in China.
Hi! This looks and sounds delicious. Any suggestions on a substitute for the Chinese vinegar?
You can use balsamic vinegar.
Let all the moisture cook out and crisp up. Excellent.
I made this today in double the amounts and it was delightful! Definitely would be better with some minced garlic though, i imagine one would add it with the ginger. Otherwise it was delicious! Came out to 8ish medium sized servings.
Want to try this with ground chicken instead
Can I use Toasted Sesame Oil in place of the Chili Oil?
I don’t feel that’s the right match for the dish. But you can try. Everyone has different preferences when it comes to food.
Is 2 teaspoons of white pepper correct? It seems like a lot. I I would guess 1/2 teaspoon.
Yes, you can adjust it to the amount you like.
Wish there was nutrition information like most recipes have.
Thanks for your suggestion. I will look into this soon.
Would love to try this for my meal prep…any nutrition numbers?
Hi Cindy: You could check the nutrition numbers on your ingredient packages and then work out the number from there.
The noodles are they rice noodles if not which ones are they.thank you.
They are also called Angel hair pasta.
sounds so good. but how much is 250 grms ground beef. is that equal to 1 pound? 120 grms noodles is how much in ounces or pounds? is chinese vinegar different than our regular vinegar? want to try it but not sure about the above measurements> TIA
250g is 1/4 kg, 0.55 pounds. Noodles are really for what two people can eat. This recipe is for two. 0.3 pounds roughly. Chinese Vinegar tastes a bit sharper than Balsamic vinegar. As long as you get the saltness right, the measurement is not as strict as baking.
What is white pepper powder?
White pepper is a spice produced from the dried fruit of the pepper plant, as is black pepper. It is usually milder than black pepper, with a less complex flavour. It is used widely in Asian cuisine.
Can i use black pepper instead of white pepper powder?
Yes you can.
Do we drain the fat from the ground beef?
You have the option to if you’d like. However, the fat is rich in flavours.
I must try your recipes, they look so DELICIOUS!.made me want to get a set of chopsticks, but a fork will do. UMMMMMM GOOD!
Thanks for your support 🙂 A ford will do.
Hello there!
Could I substitute the ground beef for ground pork sausage meat?
Many thanks ☺️
Yes you can. but the sausage meat comes pre-seasoned, so keep an eye on the saltiness.
Doesn’t sound alright for me.
i want try to cook all these recipes .,
Is corn flour the same as corn starch, or corn meal? If not, where can I find corn flour .
Yes, they are the same as the corn starch.
Looks good
Yes, they are the same as the corn starch.
Added some Chinese 5 spice n a lot of garlic. It was delicious.
Hello. What can be used instead of corn starch??? (Corn allergy) ty.
Sweet potato starch is even better than corn starch. You can find it in Asian stores.