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1
Mix the Sauce Base
5 Mins
Room temperature, about 20°C (68°F)
Whisk the tahini, chili oil, soy sauce, black vinegar, sugar and half the ground Sichuan pepper together in a bowl until smooth and glossy. Taste it: it should be spicy, nutty, salty and sour all at once, with the numbing tingle just starting. Divide the sauce between four serving bowls.
If the tahini seizes up, add a spoon of warm water and keep whisking — it will come back together.
Done when: A smooth, deep-red sauce that tastes spicy, nutty, salty and sour.
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2
Fry the Pork with Sichuan Pepper
8 Mins
Medium-high heat, about 190°C (375°F)
Heat a dry pan over medium-high heat and fry the ground pork, breaking it into small crumbles, for 5–6 minutes until browned and crisp at the edges. Add the garlic, ginger and remaining Sichuan pepper and fry for 1 more minute until fragrant. Ground pork must reach 71°C (160°F). Set the pork aside.
Let the pork sit undisturbed for a minute before stirring — that is how the crisp edges form.
Done when: The pork is browned and crisp, fragrant with garlic and Sichuan pepper, and reads 71°C (160°F).
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3
Cook the Noodles and Bok Choy
5 Mins
Boiling water, 100°C (212°F)
Cook the noodles in a large pot of boiling water per the packet, adding the bok choy for the last minute so it turns bright green but stays crisp. Drain well — water left on the noodles thins the sauce.
Drain the noodles thoroughly; a wet noodle makes a watery bowl.
Done when: The noodles are just tender and the bok choy is bright green and crisp.
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4
Heat the Stock and Build the Bowls
5 Mins
Simmering, about 95°C (200°F)
Bring the chicken stock to a gentle simmer. Pour a ladle of hot stock into each bowl and stir it into the sauce base until smooth, then add the noodles and toss so every strand is coated. Top each bowl with the fried pork, bok choy, crushed peanuts, zha cai and green onions.
Stir the stock into the sauce before the noodles go in — it is much harder to mix once the bowl is full.
Done when: Each bowl has glossy, red-coated noodles with the toppings sitting on top.
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5
Serve at Once
2 Mins
Hot, about 70°C (158°F)
Serve immediately with chopsticks and a spoon, and tell everyone to toss the bowl well before eating — the sauce settles at the bottom and the first bite should have a bit of everything.
Tossing is part of the dish: an untossed bowl is bland at the top and fiery at the bottom.
Done when: A steaming bowl that smells of chili, sesame and Sichuan pepper, ready to toss.
auto_awesome Finishing Touches & Plating
Toss each bowl thoroughly at the table so the sauce coats every strand, then eat while it is steaming hot — dan dan waits for no one, and the noodles drink up the broth as they sit.
China
35m
