Dan Dan Noodles

• 2 serving fresh egg noodles
• 200g pork mince
• 200g Ya Cai
• 4-6 branches choi sum
• ½ thumb of ginger
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 spring onion
• Handful fresh coriander
• Dash dark soy sauce
• 1 litre Chicken stock
• Vegetable oil for frying

Sesame Base Paste

• 2 tablespoons sesame paste (or smooth peanut butter)
• 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon black vinegar
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• Pinch of salt
• 1 tablespoon chilli oil (link to SOW one)

Marinade

• ½ tablespoon light soy sauce
• ¼ teaspoon white pepper
• ½ teaspoon chilli powder

Garnish (Optional)

• Crushed peanuts
• Chilli oil

1. First, peel and mince both the garlic and the ginger. Next, take your bunch of fresh coriander and pick a handful of leaves, before finely slicing your spring onion into rings. Set all to one side to be added to your pork later.

2. Now make your sesame base paste! Spoon your sesame paste (or smooth peanut butter) into a small mixing bowl, adding the light soy sauce, black vinegar, and sugar. Stir through with a pinch of salt and a tablespoon of chilli oil until you form a smooth paste; if the paste is too thick, simply add some chicken stock and mix again until you reach your desired consistency. Finally, transfer your completed sesame base paste into a large serving bowl and set aside for later. 

3. Time to marinate your meat: place your pork mince in a bowl, and add the light soy sauce, sesame oil, white pepper and chilli powder. Get stuck in and use your hands to mix everything together.

4. Add approximately 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil to your wok and heat it until smoking point. Once the oil is ready, add your minced ginger and garlic, frying them until aromatic. Now add the marinated pork mince to the wok, separating and folding it through with a ladle. When all the moisture is evaporated from the pan and you can hear the wok begin to sizzle more, then it’s time to add your Ya Cai and a dash of dark soy sauce. Stir fry for a further minute, then remove the pork and pickled vegetable mixture and set aside.

5. Now blanch your noodles! Pour the chicken stock into your wok and bring it to a boil over a high heat. Add the fresh egg noodles and leave for 1 minute, or until the noodles float freely to the top of the stock. Transfer the noodles into your serving bowl, placing them over the top of the sesame base paste.

6. Back to your wok: still over a high heat, add the Choi Sum to your stock (we recommend 2-3 branches of Choi Sum per person). Blanch for two minutes until the centre of the choi sum stems change from white to translucent grey-green, and then also transfer to your serving bowl. Ladle a small amount of stock over the serving bowl before using chopsticks to mix everything through.

7. In a large mixing bowl, combine the pork mince with the coriander leaves and chopped spring onion. Ladle this mixture into the serving bowl, along with the rest of the chicken stock. (Hint: we like the stock to fill the edges of the serving bowl, with a peak of noodles showing in the middle).

8. To garnish, drizzle some chilli oil over the top of the noodles and sprinkle a handful of chopped peanuts, if desired, and you’re ready to serve! Enjoy.