Mabo Napa Harusame
Mabo Napa Harusame – A Quick Weeknight Stir Fry
By the time Friday rolls around, I’m usually ready to keep things as simple as possible in the kitchen. After a week of cooking dinners, packing lunches, and juggling busy schedules, the last thing I want is a recipe that requires too much thinking or too many steps. That’s why stir-fry dishes are my go-to solution. They’re quick, satisfying, and use up whatever vegetables I have left in the fridge.
One of my recent favorites is Mabo Napa Harusame – a comforting Japanese-Chinese inspired stir-fry made with napa cabbage, glass noodles (harusame), and ground pork. It’s hearty, savory, and comes together in under 30 minutes, which makes it the perfect “last day of the weekday” meal.
The napa cabbage softens beautifully, soaking up all the flavors of the sauce, while the harusame noodles add just the right chewiness. A little garlic and ginger bring warmth, and the simple seasoning of soy sauce, oyster sauce, and torigara (chicken stock powder) ties everything together. This dish is cozy enough to serve with rice, but honestly, the noodles make it satisfying all on their own.
RECIPE
Servings: 3-4
Time: 30 min
Ingredients:
1/4 head napa cabbage (hakusai), cut into bite-sized pieces
1/2 lb ground pork
1 tbsp chopped garlic
1 tbsp chopped ginger
Pinch of salt
Sesame oil
1 cup water
1/2 tbsp torigara (chicken stock powder)
1/2 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp starch + 1 tbsp water (slurry)
Instructions:
Prep the ingredients
Cut napa cabbage into bite-sized pieces.
Chop garlic and ginger.
Cook the aromatics & pork
Heat sesame oil in a large pan or wok.
Add garlic and ginger, stirring until fragrant.
Add ground pork and a pinch of salt, cooking until browned.
Add cabbage & sauce
Stir in napa cabbage, water, torigara, soy sauce, and oyster sauce.
Cook for a few minutes until the cabbage softens.
Add noodles
Place harusame directly into the pan and cook for another 4 minutes until the noodles are tender and absorb the flavors.
Finish with slurry
Add the starch slurry and stir well until the sauce thickens and coats everything evenly.
Tips & Serving Ideas
You can swap ground pork for ground chicken or turkey if you prefer a lighter version.
Add a touch of chili oil for a spicier kick.
Serve with a bowl of steamed rice if you want to stretch the meal further.
This dish is perfect for those nights when you want something hearty but don’t have the energy for complicated cooking. A simple stir-fry like Mabo Napa Harusame is exactly the kind of recipe that makes weeknight cooking feel doable—even at the end of a long week.
