Yunnan Little Pot Rice Noodles

• 150g Jiangxi rice vermicelli sticks (thick rice vermicelli), (swapsies: rice vermicelli or flat rice noodles)
• 100g pickled mustard greens, roughly chopped (swapsies: gerkhins or capers)
• ¼ tsp Chinese five spice
• ½ tsp chilli powder
• Handful Chinese chives (swapsies: spring onions or green beans, finely sliced into matchsticks)
• 100g beansprouts, washed well

The Bean Paste

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• Preserved, fermented black beans
• 1 tablespoon chili bean paste
• ¼ tsp chilli powder

The Sweet Soy

• 3 tablespoons dark soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar

The Stock

• 3 Star anise
• 2-3 black cardamom (optional)
• 1L chicken stock
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 tablespoon light soy sauce

Soak the noodles in hot water for 8-10 minutes and then drain them through a sieve. Place on a clean tea towel over a tray and leave to dry until ready.

Mix the pickled mustard greens with the five spice and ½ teaspoon chilli powder. Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a wok to a medium heat and then stir fry the mustard greens for 2-3 minutes to temper the spices. Remove from the wok and set aside for later.

To make the bean paste, pound the preserved black beans in a pestle and mortar until a thick paste is formed, then add the chilli bean paste and chilli powder and mix well. Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a wok to a medium heat and then stir fry the bean paste for 1-2 minutes to thicken the paste and create a more intense flavour. Remove from the wok and set aside for later.

Mix the sweet soy ingredients together in the wok and bring to a boil on a medium heat. Once the sugar has fully dissolved, remove from the wok and set aside for later.

BUILD YOUR WOK CLOCK: place the stock ingredients at 12 o’clock, followed by the pickled mustard greens, the bean paste, the sweet soy, noodles, Chinese chives and finally the beans sprouts clockwise around your plate.

Heat the star anise and black cardamom in a dry saucepan to a medium heat for 1-2 minutes until aromatic. Then pour the stock in and add the salt and light soy sauce.

Bring to a boil and then turn the heat down to a simmer for 5 minutes.

Next follow the wok clock around from the mustard greens to the sweet soy and continue to simmer for 15-20 minutes to let the intense flavours infuse together in the stock. 2-3 minutes before serving, place the noodles, the Chinese chives and beansprouts into the stock with 1 minute intervals between each ingredient.

Allow to bubble away for a further minute and then serve.