Tainan Noodles Recipe (4-Ingredients Asian Noodles) (2024)

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A flavorful Chinese noodle dish made with simple ingredients and seasonings. This Tainan noodles recipe is the perfect last-minute recipe idea on busy nights. It's an easy recipe for when you are not in the mood for cooking, but don't want to eat canned food.

This Asian noodle dish recipe is inspired by one of the noodle products sold at Costco, Tainan-style noodles by Asha. It has the perfect seasoning made of soy sauce, sugar, and sesame oil.

You can serve this dry Tainan noodle by itself or with the toppings of your choice, such as egg or rotisserie chicken. Either way, these Tainan noodles will satisfy your hunger without extra work, and an added bonus is that it’s very budget-friendly.

Tainan Noodles Recipe (4-Ingredients Asian Noodles) (1)

This easy dry noodles recipe can be ready and on the dinner table in about 15 minutes. No chopping, no stir-frying, and very little preparation! The perfect easy meal for college students!

Don't throw away your leftovers, as you can pack this noodle dish for lunch or put it in the freezer to extend its shelf life.

Tainan Noodles Recipe (4-Ingredients Asian Noodles) (2)

Tainan Noodles Ingredients:

For best results, use fresh Chinese lo-mein style noodles (the same noodles that people use to make Dan Dan noodles). I understand that many of you may not have access to Asian dried pasta, so spaghetti or even tagliatelle would work great. If you are going to use dried pasta, be sure to add about ¼ teaspoon of baking soda per quart of water when cooking the pasta. It will give it a bouncier texture, and a flavor that’s similar to Chinese noodles.

Please note that noodle brands vary so much from one to the next. For that reason, you may need to make a few adjustments on the recipe ingredients to reach the desired taste.

Tainan Noodles Recipe (4-Ingredients Asian Noodles) (3)

Now, let's talk about the seasoning. The noodle is seasoned with soy sauce, sesame oil, and sugar. So simple, isn't it?

To add an extra kick of spiciness, feel free to add your favorite hot sauce to this dish. Sriracha sauce or Sichuan chili oil both work quite nicely.

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How to Make this Tainan Noodle Dish:

As I mentioned above, this dish doesn't require cooking skills nor a long cooking time. You only need to cook the pasta until al dente, then mix it in with the soy-based seasoning.

Tainan Noodles Recipe (4-Ingredients Asian Noodles) (4)

I've tried this recipe using different types of noodles and always had to make small adjustments to the amount of soy sauce and sugar. Therefore, I am going to list a lesser amount of those ingredients as a starting point for the noodles. If you think they still need some extra seasoning, feel free to adjust the amount of soy sauce, sugar, or salt until you reach your desire taste.

Another important thing to remember is that it's better to let the noodles soak in the soy sauce and absorb those wonderful flavors for a few minutes before serving.

I really hope that you'll enjoy this basic yet flavorful noodle dish recipe.

📖 Recipe

5 from 9 votes

Tainan Noodles

Rika

A flavorful Chinese noodle dish made with simple ingredients and seasonings. This Asian comfort food, Tainan noodles recipe is the perfect last-minute recipe idea on busy nights or when you are not in the mood for cooking.

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Prep Time 3 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Course Main Dish

Cuisine Chinese

Servings 2

Calories 207 kcal

Ingredients

  • 3 oz noodles, (Lo-mein style noodles, thin noodles or Spaghetti)
  • ¾ - 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • ½ teaspoon white sugar
  • 2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
  • salt and pepper, (to taste)

Optional Toppings:

  • chopped green onions

Instructions

  • Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook the noodles according to the package instructions.

    Note: If you are going to use dried pasta, be sure to add about ¼ teaspoon of baking soda per quart of water when cooking the pasta.

  • In a medium-size bowl, whisk togethersoy sauce, sugar, and sesame oil.

  • Drain the noodles and transfer to a bowl. Toss to coat the noodles with sauce. Taste and adjust the ingredients or use salt/pepper as needed.

    Let the noodles soak in the soy sauce and absorb those wonderful flavors for a few minutes before serving.

  • Serve with chopped green onions or any toppings of your choice. Enjoy!

Notes

If more soy sauce is needed, add by small increments of 1 teaspoon at a time. To add saltiness to the dish, just add a small amount of salt. Do not go overboard with soy sauce or all you’ll taste is soy sauce.

If more sugar is needed, add by small increments of ¼ teaspoon at a time.

Nutrition

Calories: 207kcalCarbohydrates: 34gProtein: 7gFat: 5gSaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 882mgPotassium: 128mgFiber: 1gSugar: 2gCalcium: 9mgIron: 1mg

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Tainan Noodles Recipe (4-Ingredients Asian Noodles) (2024)

FAQs

What ingredients are Asian noodles usually made from? ›

Traditionally, Asian noodles are made with flour milled from common wheat, rice flour, or starch from a tuber or bean. Because traditional Asian noodles use softer flours and starches than pasta, most noodles employ salt as a binding agent, whereas Italian pasta typically forgoes salt.

What are the ingredients in a sha tainan style noodles? ›

Noodle Ingredients: Wheat Flour, Water, Salt. Sauce Packet Ingredients: Soy Sauce (Water, Sugar, Salt, Soybean, Wheat, Caramel Color, Yeast Extract, Malic Acid), White Sesame Oil (Soybean Oil, Sesame Oil).

What to add to a sha tainan noodle? ›

While A-Sha noodles are delicious on their own, nothing beats dressing them up with a perfectly boiled egg paired with your favorite proteins and veggies.

What ingredients do some chefs used to make Asian noodles? ›

The noodles are made from various flours, such as wheat flour, rice flour, potato flour, soybean flour, and mung bean flour. Some Asian noodles are made with eggs but many do not contain any eggs. Many are available fresh and dried but some are only found in Asian markets.

What is main ingredient in Chinese noodles? ›

Chinese noodles are generally made from either wheat flour, rice flour, or mung bean starch, with wheat noodles being more commonly produced and consumed with the ancient wooden noodles mold technology in northern China and rice noodles being more typical of southern China.

What is the difference between Japanese noodles and Chinese noodles? ›

Chinese noodles are often hearty and bold, with sauces and seasonings like soy sauce, oyster sauce, and chili oil. Japanese noodles tend to focus on umami-rich broths, using ingredients like miso, soy sauce, and fish stock to create rich and savory soups.

What does a-sha tainan noodles taste like? ›

The noodles are just wheat flour, salt and water. The sauce is just shoyu and sesame oil. There is no broth. It tastes nutty, starchy and extremely comforting.

Where did tainan noodles come from? ›

Ta-a mi (Chinese: 擔仔麵; pinyin: dànzǎimiàn; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: tàⁿ-á-mī; lit. 'shoulder pole noodle'), also known as Ta-a noodles or danzai noodles, is a type of snack found in Tainan, Taiwan. Also known as "Slack Season Ta-a Noodles", they originated in Tainan (in southern Taiwan), about 130 years ago.

What is the sauce in A-Sha noodles? ›

Top reviews from Canada. This is the basic A-sha noodle experience, featuring the chewy, thin Tainan noodles and the house sauce packet, which is a straightforward blend of soy sauce and sesame oil. This sauce can also be used to create a soup base, by blending it into 2 cups of low sodium broth or stock.

How long do you cook a sha tainan noodles? ›

Not cooking the noodles to at least the recommended cooking time typically yields a slimy, doughy consistency of under-cooked noodle similar to when a pasta is not cooked all the way through. The cooking time varies per noodle; Tainan 2 mins, Mandarin 3 mins, Hakka 4 mins, Knife cut 5 mins.

What are the ingredients in a sha noodles original flavor sauce? ›

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Original Flavor is just what it says... the original flavor! Soy Sauce (Water, Sugar, Salt, Soybean, Wheat, Caramel Color, Yeast Extract, Malic Acid), White Sesame Oil (Soybean Oil, Sesame Oil).

What do Japanese people put in their noodles? ›

There are many different kinds of Japanese ramen noodles, but they're generally long, thin and made from wheat. The noodles are typically served in a hot broth loaded with toppings such as egg, seaweed, slices of pork, and local seasonal vegetables.

What are the crunchy Chinese noodles called? ›

Mein gon (面干 miàn-gān), informally referred to as crunchy noodles or crunchy chow mein, are a type of noodle-shaped cracker (or dried biscuit) used in American Chinese cuisine.

Which soy sauce is best for noodles? ›

Light soy sauce (7.2% sodium) – adds salt to a dish but doesn't stain noodles a deep mahogany colour nor does it add much “soy flavour” Dark soy sauce (9.3% sodium) – must more intense in flavour and saltiness, noodles become a lovely dark colour.

What are the three most essential ingredients for good noodles? ›

All you need is three simple ingredients, flour, salt, and water. The best part about this recipe is that you can make these noodles in bulk. Having fresh hand-cut noodles is super convenient and will instantly level up any noodle recipe to restaurant-style quality.

What are the ingredients in Japanese noodles? ›

The broadest category of Japanese noodles are made with wheat flour, water, salt, or other additives, such as lye-water (alkaline). The following noodles are a few different types of wheat noodles.

What are the ingredients in noodle production? ›

Noodles are mainly made from wheat flour whilst yellow color formed by turmeric extract. Ingredients of the seasoning sachets consist of dried vegetables, spices, and refined oil.

What are traditional noodles made of? ›

Wheat is the most commonly used ingredient in Chinese noodles and many other Asian countries. Many wheat noodles are usually made from just wheat flour, salt, and water, while others have few ingredients in them like egg, lye, tapioca, arrowroot, bean, etc., to add to the flavor.

What are Japanese noodles made of? ›

Types of Japanese noodles. Ramen are thin, wheat-based noodles made from wheat flour, salt, water, and kansui, a form of alkaline water. The dough is risen before being rolled. They were imported from China during the Meiji period.

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