Step 1

*The garlic oil, ground pork and sauce can be all prepped in advance.

Step 2

Make Garlic Oil and Fried Garlic. In a small pot, add the oil and turn the heat on to medium low. Add a piece of garlic as a tester, then once the test garlic is bubbling, add the remaining garlic. Fry garlic in oil until golden, stirring frequently, being careful not to let it turn brown. Strain, keeping the oil and garlic separate and set aside. This can be done far ahead of time.

Step 3

Cook the ground pork. In a small or medium pot, add 1-2 tablespoons of water just to coat the bottom and put it on medium-high heat. Once the water is bubbling, add the ground pork and stir, breaking up the lumps, until fully cooked. Transfer to a bowl and set aside and keep covered so it stays warm; there will be lots of pooling liquid, this is fine.

Step 4

Make the sauce. In a small bowl, combine all the sauce ingredients, and then take about 1 tablespoon of the juice from the ground pork and add it to the sauce as well - this added liquid will help the sugar dissolve. Stir until the sugar is dissolved.

Step 5

Bring a large pot of water to a boil (6-qt pot minimum). Meanwhile, cut the noodles down with scissors so they’re not too long; this will help make it easier to toss and serve. Loosen the noodles to ensure no strands are stuck together.

Step 6

Heat the sauce up either in the microwave or in a pot on the stove, just until it's hot/warm so that it won’t cool down the noodles too much. Don’t let the sauce reduce. Keep covered until ready to use.

Step 7

If your ground pork is no longer warm, you can heat it up in the microwave or stovetop as well.

Step 8

Once the water is boiling, add the meatballs and boil them for about a minute or 2 until they are hot. Scoop them out and set aside.

Step 9

Once the water comes back to boil, add the bean sprouts and blanch them for literally 3 seconds just to warm them up, then scoop them up and place in a large mixing bowl.

Step 10

Wait for the water to come back to a boil, then cook the noodles for 2-3 minutes, if using wonton noodles, or however long your particular noodles take to cook. Scoop them out with a wire skimmer, shake off all excess water and place them into the mixing bowl with the bean sprouts.

Step 11

Pour the garlic oil over the noodles and toss to separate the noodles and mix them with the beansprouts. Then add the ground pork, holding back any pooling liquid in the bowl. Add the peanuts, chili flakes, the sauce, and chopped green onions and toss to mix well.

Step 12

Divide into serving bowls and top each bowl with the meatballs, chopped cilantro, fried garlic, and a lime wedge. Be sure to squeeze the lime over the noodles before eating, and feel free to add more chili flakes or sriracha as desired. Enjoy!