Have your fill of traditional Tainan-style noodles – a delicious Taiwanese dish loaded with pork, shrimp, and prawns.
Ta-a noodles, danzi noodles or Tainan Style Noodles is a 130 year old noodle dish that dates back to the late Qing dynasty. Found in Tainan, Taiwan these noodles are usually made with minced pork, prawns, bean sprouts and – obviously – noodles. Also called “Slack Season Ta-a Noodles”, they were traditionally served during the typhoon season, when fishing proved to be dangerous. Those times were called the “slack seasons”.
The ingredients in this dish are well known, but each establishment or individual who regularly prepares them uses them with different amounts, and protects the individual recipes like state secrets. 
However, as an Honest Cooking reader – obviously you’re in luck!
Step by Step Guide to Making Ta-a Noodles – Taiwanese Pork Noodles
- Prepare Shrimp Broth:
- Grill shrimp heads and tails until fragrant.
- In a soup pot, combine shrimp remains with 10 cups of water. Boil, then simmer partially covered for 45 minutes.
- Add prawns in the last minute, cook, then set aside.
- Strain broth into a smaller pot and season with fish sauce.
-
Cook Pork Mince:
- In a wok, heat lard and cook minced pork until no longer pink.
- Push pork to the side, add shallots and garlic, and sauté for a minute. Then combine with pork and cook for 5 minutes.
- Add soy sauce and 1 cup of water, bring to a boil, then simmer until the sauce thickens (about 10 minutes).
-
Prepare Noodles and Garnishes:
- Blanch bean sprouts and set aside.
- Cook noodles as per packet instructions.
-
Assemble the Dish:
- In serving bowls, add noodles, bean sprouts, spring onions, and cilantro.
- Pour hot shrimp broth over the noodles.
- Add a generous serving of the pork sauce.
- Top with cooked prawns and serve.
Recipe Notes
- Adjust the seasoning of the broth with fish sauce according to your taste preference.
- Ensure that the shrimp heads are well-roasted for a more flavorful broth.
- For a vegetarian version, substitute pork with tofu and use vegetable broth.
Ta-a Noodles: Taiwanese Pork Noodles
- Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
Description
Have your fill of traditional Tainan-style noodles – a delicious Taiwanese dish loaded with pork, shrimp, and prawns.
Ingredients
- 300 g Taiwanese style oily noodles or Yaka Mien
- 250 g fatty minced pork
- 1 kg shrimp heads and shells
- 12 pcs prawns
- 4 small shallots, minced
- 3 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 2 cups bean sprouts
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 spring onion, minced
- 6 sprigs cilantro
- 2 tsp pork lard
- Fish sauce, to taste
Instructions
- Prepare Shrimp Broth:
- Grill shrimp heads and tails until fragrant.
- In a soup pot, combine shrimp remains with 10 cups of water. Boil, then simmer partially covered for 45 minutes.
- Add prawns in the last minute, cook, then set aside.
- Strain broth into a smaller pot and season with fish sauce.
- Cook Pork Mince:
- In a wok, heat lard and cook minced pork until no longer pink.
- Push pork to the side, add shallots and garlic, and sauté for a minute. Then combine with pork and cook for 5 minutes.
- Add soy sauce and 1 cup of water, bring to a boil, then simmer until the sauce thickens (about 10 minutes).
- Prepare Noodles and Garnishes:
- Blanch bean sprouts and set aside.
- Cook noodles as per packet instructions.
- Assemble the Dish:
- In serving bowls, add noodles, bean sprouts, spring onions, and cilantro.
- Pour hot shrimp broth over the noodles.
- Add a generous serving of the pork sauce.
- Top with cooked prawns and serve.
Notes
- Adjust the seasoning of the broth with fish sauce according to your taste preference.
- Ensure that the shrimp heads are well-roasted for a more flavorful broth.
- For a vegetarian version, substitute pork with tofu and use vegetable broth.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Category: Main
- Method: Simmering
- Cuisine: Taiwanese
I bought this noodles but didn’t know what to do with it. Thank you so much for the recipe. Easy to understand!!
Hi Raymond,
My mother’s family is from Tainan and I’m Taiwanese. You should be really proud you got so many of the ingredients right. I also agree about the rice wine, but a real secret a a very small spritz of rice vinegar on top of the dish at the very end. You don’t cook the vinegar but it makes Taiwanese pork and noodle dishes have that missing flavor. We also fry the shallots in oil or lard to draw out the flavor before combining with the other ingredients. You can actually buy them freshly fried in Tainan shops. Thanks again for sharing this recipe and a bit of Tainan culture
Wow what a nice response, I will certainly follow those new steps you mentioned to make this even better
Hi there, thank you for sharing this! I am actually from southern Taiwan, and this food snack is truly one of our family’s favorites!
Like you said, the ingredients and the amount may vary a little bit from one to one. In my humble opinon I would probably remove the fish sauce and use rice wine instead. Fish sauce has a stronger flavor (to some, too “fishy”) but rice wine is easier to deal with in many ways. The truth is I don’t see fish sauce that often in Taiwanese food, but that could be just my personal experience. Last but not least, while the noodles are ready, sprinkle some white peper or splash tiny bit of sesame oil as you wish. :)))
Will try your suggestions to make it even more authentic! Thanks Audrey
I just found your blog and I’m really enjoying it! Thank you for creating a food lover’s space that isn’t pretentious or precious… just informative, fun, and well thought out.
I love your photography style… it’s really gorgeous.
I’m making these noodles tonight… thanks again!
Thanks for the kind comments Tana