Copycat TamJai SamGor Noodles

If you’ve ever been to Hong Kong, you’ve probably heard of TamJai SamGor Mixian (譚仔三哥米線)—a popular noodle chain famous for its customisable spicy and numbing broth, chewy and silky Yunnan rice noodles, and endless topping options. In this recipe, I’ll show you how to recreate a Copycat TamJai Samgor Noodles at home!

TamJai SamGor noodles aren’t just noodles to me—they bring back memories of rushing out of school with my friends, grabbing a quick bowl during lunch, and barely making it back in time for our next class. There’s just something so nostalgic about it.

Since moving to the UK, I’ve been craving something that tastes just like TamJai, but no restaurant in London makes this. But I never realised how easy it is to make something so similar at home. It’s all about getting the broth right!

which noodles do I use?

For TamJai SamGor noodles, the noodles that are used are round rice vermicelli, which are also used in dishes like Vietnamese Bún Bò Huế. These noodles are slightly thicker and chewier than your standard rice noodles.

This is the brand that I’m using, but any round rice vermicelli that you find in the Asian supermarket works as well!

what’s the secret to the soup base?

The key ingredients to making the Tam Jai soup base is pork bone broth, chicken powder, evaporated milk and Sichuan peppercorn oil!

For the pork bone broth, I use Knorr’s Pork Bone Dense Soup Jelly (豬骨濃湯寶) which I brought back from Hong Kong. I don’t think this specific one is common to find in Asian supermarkets, but any pork bone broth/ stock works just fine!

You’ll notice that the soup base in Tam Jai has a white colour. Adding evaporated milk will add a creamy and slightly sweet richness to the broth. It’s a pretty common ingredient to use! It is also added in classic Hong Kong macaroni soups. Feel free to substitute with oat milk or soy milk.

You also can’t skip Sichuan peppercorn oil! It gives the Tam Jai broth that signature mala (麻辣) numbing spice. Any brand of Sichuan peppercorn oil works fine.

ingredients for making Copycat TamJai SamGor Noodles:

• 2 servings round rice vermicelli noodles

TamJai SamGor Soup base:

• 1.5L water
• 1 pork bone stock (or use chicken/ vegetable broth)
• 1 tbsp chicken powder
• 1 tbsp Sichuan peppercorn oil
• 2 tbsp evaporated milk
• 1-2 tbsp Chilli powder (to taste)
• 1 tsp salt

Toppings:

• 1-2 chicken thighs, chopped to bitesized pieces (marinade ingredients below)
• Enoki mushrooms
• Beansprouts
• Chinese chives
• Fried tofu

Chicken marinade:

• 1 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tbsp oyster sauce
• 2 tsp Shaoxing cooking wine
• 1 tsp cornstarch
• 1/4 tsp white pepper powder
• drizzle of sesame oil

steps to making Copycat TamJai SamGor Noodles:

1. Marinate the chicken thighs and set it aside.
2. Cook the noodles according to the package instructions. Once cooked, rinse them under cold water to remove excess starch and prevent the noodles from becoming too murky. Set aside.
3. Prepare the broth: In a pot, add water, pork bone broth (or chicken broth), evaporated milk, peppercorn oil, chilli powder, and chilli oil. Bring it to a simmer.
4. Add the fried tofu, mushrooms, and marinated chicken to the broth. Bring the mixture to a boil for 2-3 minutes to cook the proteins through.
5. Add the beansprouts and Chinese chives towards the end, as they cook quickly and should retain their freshness.
6. Assemble the dish by placing the cooked noodles in a bowl, then pour the hot broth and toppings over them. Serve immediately and enjoy!

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