Salsa Macha Pork Noodles
Updated April 13, 2026
David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
- Ready In
- 30 min
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
Advertisement
Ingredients
3 dried chiles de árbol, stemmed
3 (5-inch) dried guajillo chiles, stemmed
¼ cup unsalted roasted peanuts
½ pound ground pork
Kosher salt
1 (13-ounce) package fresh or frozen ramen noodles
⅓ cup canola or vegetable oil, plus more as needed
10 garlic cloves, grated or minced
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 tablespoon roasted sesame seeds
½ cup coarsely chopped cilantro
4 scallions, thinly sliced
2 limes, halved
Nutritional analysis per serving (2 servings)
132 grams carbs; 82 milligrams cholesterol; 1756 calories; 60 grams monosaturated fat; 22 grams polyunsaturated fat; 30 grams saturated fat; 120 grams fat; 12 grams fiber; 3510 milligrams sodium; 46 grams protein; 7 grams sugar
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Powered by
Preparation
- Step 1
In a blender, combine the chiles de árbol and the guajillos; blend into coarse flakes. Add peanuts and pulse 3 times, until coarsely ground and no whole peanuts remain. Set aside.
- Step 2
Heat a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add pork and break up the meat into large chunks, then season with salt. Cook, undisturbed, until fat renders and the underside of pork starts to brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir and continue to cook until pork is crispy, breaking up meat into smaller pieces, about 5 minutes more. Turn off heat.
- Step 3
Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Add noodles and cook according to package directions. Reserve ½ cup of the cooking water, then drain noodles and divide between two serving bowls.
- Step 4
Meanwhile, return the skillet to medium heat. Add the peanut-chile mixture and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the canola oil and garlic and cook, stirring for 30 seconds more. Stir in the sesame oil, cumin, oregano and sesame seeds. Add reserved noodle cooking water and toss until the mixture is combined and saucy. Season with salt to taste.
- Step 5
To serve, top each bowl of noodles with half of the salsa macha pork. Sprinkle with cilantro and scallions and squeeze an entire lime over each bowl. Stir to combine at the table.
Private Notes
Comments
Used 1 T of chipotle with the peanuts! Double the sesame oil. Make it in a wok. Would be nice with some stir-fried broccoli on the side Raman comes in funny sizes. Boil it for 3 minutes, don’t leave it in the colander; hard to clean colander.
I used a pound of pork and did the other ingredients x 1.5 - definitely didn’t need so much oil. I’ll skip the sesame seeds next time, the texture is already chunky with the peanuts. The lime is surprisingly great!
This was so delicious! I doubled the recipe but cut back on the vegetable oil. New favorite- started to make it with chipotle peppers in sauce but it was too spicy. Ended up engineering some chilli paste/oil to fill in. Added bok choy for fun. Crunch crunch.
This sounded super intriguing, but in my rural Midwest town sourcing the ingredients for the salsa would be difficult. So I went with an Amazon sourced jar of salsa macha. I added about a half cup of chicken broth and a touch of maple syrup bc I was wary of the spice level. When that cooked down it gave the dish just a bit more sauciness. It was really delish. I agree that the fresh lime and other toppings are key! My husband added another spoonful of salsa macha to his, which he said was perfect. This definitely goes into the rotation.
Psst. I’ll tell you a secret. You can double the amount of pork (and nothing else) and have an even more delicious experience for more people.
Excellent flavor. We added ginger and a bit of tamari. You’ll get the best spice flavor if you use the best and fresh packaged dried chiles.