How to Make ‘Ohana Noodles from Disney’s Polynesian Resort

‘Ohana is one of our very favorite restaurants at Disney. For those who don’t know, ‘Ohana is the “all you care to enjoy” family style restaurant at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort. We prefer these types of restaurants to buffets because the food gets brought right to your table. The Polynesian is just two quick monorail stops away from Magic Kingdom. This Hawaiian themed resort is among the most popular of the deluxe resorts at Walt Disney World, and we think the dining here is a big reason why.

The main course of your meal is a “Dinner Skillet” that comes with Teriyaki Beef, Shrimp, Chimichurri Grilled Chicken, ‘Ohana Noodles, and Roasted Broccoli. While it is all delicious, there is something about those noodles… When we returned from our latest trip to ‘Ohana, we were on a mission to recreate them. Through some trial and error, we think we found a recipe that rivals the original.

The ‘Ohana Noodle Recipe

The key to successfully replicating this recipe is to use some traditional Asian noodle ingredients, but with a Hawaiian twist. If you have a Wok, you can probably make this even better than we were able to. For simplicity, we made this recipe more accessible by not requiring one. Here is the recipe:

‘Ohana Noodles Ingredients

• Teriyaki Sauce:
  • 2 Tbsp brown sugar
  • 3 Tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 Tbsp hoisin sauce
  • 3 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
  • 2 Tbsp pineapple juice
  • 4 garlic cloves
  • 1 Tbsp minced ginger
• 8 oz package Lo Mein noodles
• 1/2 red pepper
• 1/2 red onion
• 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 tsp sesame oil

Instructions

Serves: 4-6

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

1. In a medium-sized bowl, mix: brown sugar, soy sauce, hoisin, rice vinegar, pineapple juice, garlic, and ginger.
2. Dice red onion and red pepper, set aside.
3. In a medium nonstick saucepan, boil 2 cups of water. Add noodles and boil according to package directions. Remove from heat, strain in cold water.
4. Heat a large nonstick skillet (or Wok) to medium-high. Add sesame oil along with pepper and onion. Stir frequently until onions are translucent and starting to caramelize. Remove from skillet.
5. Add vegetable oil and noodles. Sauté briefly, then add the teriyaki sauce. Stir in pepper and onions.
6. Serve!

The ‘Ohana Noodles Comparison – How Did We Do?

This recipe really does taste quite a bit like the original, we are giving it a 8/10 on the similarity scale. Our version used flat Lo Mein noodles (which we prefer) but go with round noodles for a more similar dish to ‘Ohana’s. What else could you do to make it more similar? We aren’t sure. There might just be some magical Disney difference that can’t ever exactly be replicated. Maybe food just tastes better inside of one of the original WDW resorts, looking out across the lagoon to Magic Kingdom. We’ll let you decide!

Check out ‘Ohana on Disney’s website for more information or to book a reservation! Also take a look at our resort rankings to see where Polynesian ranks.