Longevity Noodles with Taiwanese Meat Sauce

If I told you that the longer the noodles, the longer your life, would you believe me? 

In my culture, longevity noodles are a traditional lucky dish that symbolizes good health and long life.

Of all the traditional dishes, longevity noodle is for sure the easiest! I always pair it with my super easy Taiwanese meat sauce that takes only 20 minutes.

The Taiwanese meat sauce is super delicious and easy to meal prep. Once you give it a try, I promise it will not only be part of your Lunar New Year dinner, but you will be making it at least once a week. 

Longevity Noodles are also known as “long-life noodles,” It Is a must-eaten dish during Lunar New Year.

The longer the noodles, the longer the life. When choosing which noodles to use, I recommend thin, long noodles.

Make sure never to break the noodles or cut them when preparing and eating them; you dont want to “cut your life short.”

There are many ways to eat longevity noodles, but my favorite is with Traditional Taiwanese Meat Sauce.

It is effortless and easy to make and can be eaten in many ways, such as with rice, noodles, or on top of vegetables. 

Longevity Noodles with Taiwanese Meat Sauce is a classic sauce that I eat at least once a week in my household.

If you are a vegetarian, you can substitute the meat with marinated firm tofu instead, and it will be just as delicious. 

Like bolognese sauce, it freezes well, so I always make it in bulk. That way, I can have Taiwanese Meat Sauce whenever I want. 

How To Freeze & Prepare Taiwanese Meat Sauce: 

• To Freeze: Let the Taiwanese Meat Sauce cool completely before transferring it into freezer bags. Make sure always to squeeze out any excess air. Place it in the freezer and freeze for up to 2 months. 
• To Reheat: Defrost the Meat Sauce in the fridge overnight. Pout the sauce in a pot and heat the sauce over the stove at medium heat. If the sauce is too thick, add ½ cup of water and let it cook for another 5 minutes.  

Do you want more LUNAR NEW YEAR recipes? Here are my go-to traditional GOOD LUCK DISHES that are easy to recreate at home!

• Chinese Steamed Fish (Easy & Authentic)
• 3 Best Dumpling Recipes (Chicken, Vegetarian, Pork)
• Traditional Taiwanese Braised Pork Hock
• Potstickers (Secret Family Recipe)

Ingredients 

• 25 Shiitake Mushrooms (sliced)
• 2 Medium Shallots (minced)
• 4 cloves of Garlic (minced)
• 1 lb of Ground Pork or Chicken
• 3 tbsp of Soy Sauce
• 2 tbsp of Vegetarian Oyster Sauce
• 2.5 tbsp of Sugar
• 2.5 cups of Water
• 4 packs of Noodles
• Vegetarian Alternative:
• 2 packs of Marinated Firm Tofu

1. Turn the heat up to medium-high, drizzle in oil, and add ground meat in a pot. Sauté together for 2-3 minutes.
2. Add in shallots and garlic and sauté together for another 2-3 minutes.
3. Next, add in sliced mushroom, soy sauce, and sugar and saute together for 1-2 minutes.
4. Finally, add in 2 cups of water and let it simmer for 10-20 minutes.
5. In the meantime, prepare the noodles.
6. To plate this dish, start with the noodles and pour on the meat sauce. Garnish with cilantro and sesame seeds.

VEGETARIAN: Replace ground meat with diced marinated firm tofu.

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5 from 1 vote

Longevity Noodles with Taiwanese Meat Sauce

Welcome to Day 3 of the Lunar New Year Series, today we will be making Longevity Noodles with Taiwanese Meat Sauce, which symbolizes good health and long life. Health is really important in my culture, so we make sure to have longevity noodles every year. The longer the noodles, the better! Give this meat sauce a try, and I promise it will not only be part of your Lunar New Year dinner, but you will be making it at least once a week. Super easy Traditional Taiwanese Meat Sauce with the perfect balance of sweet and savory.

Prep Time10 mins

Active Time30 mins

Total Time40 mins

Course: Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine: Asian, Chinese

Yield: 4 People

Materials

• 25 Shiitake Mushrooms sliced
• 2 Medium Shallots minced
• 4 cloves of Garlic minced
• 1 lb of Ground Pork or Chicken
• 3 tbsp of Soy Sauce
• 2.5 tbsp of Sugar
• 2.5 cups of Water
• 4 packs of Noodles
• 2 packs of Marinated Firm Tofu VEGETARIAN OPTION **

Instructions

• Turn the heat up to medium-high, drizzle in oil, and add ground meat in a pot. Sauté together for 2-3 minutes.
• Add in shallots and garlic and sauté together for another 2-3 minutes.
• Add in sliced mushroom, soy sauce, and sugar and saute together for 1-2 minutes.
• Add in 2 cups of water and let it simmer for 20 minutes.
• In the meantime, prepare the noodles.
• To plate this dish, start with the noodles and pour on the meat sauce. Garnish with cilantro and sesame seeds.
• *** VEGETARIAN: Replace ground meat with diced marinated firm tofu. ***

Video

Notes

How To Freeze & Prepare Taiwanese Meat Sauce:

• To Freeze: Let the Taiwanese Meat Sauce cool completely before transferring it into freezer bags. Make sure always to squeeze out any excess air. Place it in the freezer and freeze for up to 2 months.
• To Reheat: Defrost the Meat Sauce in the fridge overnight. Pout the sauce in a pot and heat the sauce over the stove at medium heat. If the sauce is too thick, add ½ cup of water and let it cook for another 5 minutes.