This is the dish that inspired it all. Every time our founder Brian visits Taiwan, he needs to visit Tianan to go to his favorite noodle shop of all time: Du Hsiao Yue. This restaurant has been around since 1895 and was inspired by the off-season for fishing, when the seas around Taiwan were too rough for the fishermen.
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Image credit: Sato Hisashi
As a child Brian would sit on a stool that was a polished wooden stool and slurp bowl after bowl of this snack sized noodle soup. He and his cousins would compete to see who could eat the most, often getting 8-9 bowls down.
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Image credit: Sato Hisashi
Traditionally this dish requires many components to get the deeply layered broth just right. KYUNU as created a shortcut for you with our Danzai Noodle Soup Kit.
In this recipe, we'll show you how to dress up your KYUNU Chef Crafted Noodles to be the deluxe version.
To make the broth even richer, you can make your own bone broth in pressure cooker, or you can use store-bought. If using store-bought, look for one with really high protein content and avoid ones that come in powder form, since you're already using KYUNU's soup base.
It is important to use Taiwanese Black Vinegar, since it has a slightly different profile to Chinese Black Vinegar. Taiwanese Black Vinegar is lighter and has some top herbal fruity notes, while Chinese black vinegar (like Chinkiang) is heavier and darker, and often less aromatic. Think of Taiwanese Black Vinegar almost like a lighter, fruitier Worcestershire Sauce—less salty and more tang. It does a lot of work to brighten the dish.
Also a signature flavor that you can adjust to taste is the Taiwanse Garlic Paste. This is a classic condiment to add some pungent pepperiness in several Taiwanese dishes. The sharpness of raw garlic really cuts through the richness of the broth, so you won't want to skimp on this.
If you only do two things from this recipe, it should be the Black Vinegar and the Garlic Paste. This is what will take the soup base to the next level.
Note: The key to this recipe is to use a bowl that is small enough (about 1.5 cups) that the flavors are balanced and you aren't using too much broth. You will go back to make multiple bowls vs one large bowl.
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Ingredients
Soup Ingredients
- KYUNU Pork & Shrimp Danzai Noodle Soup
- Bone Broth
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Protein Toppings
- Taiwanese braised pork
- Poached shrimp
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Veggie Toppings
- Chinese Garlic Chives, cut into 1 inch pieces
- Bean Sprouts
- Cilantro, minced (optional)
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Flavor Enhancers
- Thick Bean Paste
- Garlic Water
- Taiwanese Black Vinegar
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Taiwanese Braised Pork Hack
Use your favorite recipe or use this cheat that is inspired by Thai cooking:
- Prepare the marinade: 2 tbsp Taiwanese Thick Bean Paste, 4 tbsp soy sauce, 2 tsp onion powder, 1 tbsp sugar or palm sugar.
- Pour the marinade over the meat and massage into the ground pork.
- Add 1/4 cup water to a pot with the meat.
- Bring the pot to a boil over medium high heat and break up the chunks.
- Cook for 10-12 minutes, adding more water if the pan is too dry. The meat should have a brown color but not be caramelized.
- Season with additional thick bean paste and/or sugar to taste.
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Garlic Paste
- Grate 3-4 cloves of raw, peeled garlic into a fine past and transfer into a small bowl.
- Dilute with 1-2 tbsp of water and stir.
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Note: make sure the garlic is fresh to prevent off flavors. Do NOT use jarlic.
Prepare the broth
- Heat the 2 cups of the bone broth so it is just barely simmering.
- Dissolve 1 packet of KYUNU Danzai soup seasoning to every 1.5 - 2 cups of bone broth.
Noodle Bowl Instructions
Get all the ingredients and toppings ready before you get started.
- Par cook the noodles for 2 minutes and 30 seconds, then drain and coat with a neutral oil.
- Put noodles and desired amount of bean sprouts into a noodle strainer along with a handful of par-cooked KYUNU noodles. Heat briefly in the water for 20-30 seconds, just to warm it through and pour into the bowl.
- Ladle over just enough broth to cover the noodles.
- Top with 3-4 tablespoons of the braised pork, a poached shrimp, and a pinch of chopped cilantro
- Top also with garlic paste and black vinegar. Try starting with 1/4 tsp of each and then adjust to taste.
- Serve immediately!
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