Breakfast Noodles with Pork and Sweet-Spicy Sauce (Zajiang Mixian)

Then prep

• Make or set out the Sesame Seeds in Oil, Dried Chilli Oil and Sichuan peppercorn powder.
• Finely chop 4 tbsp peeled ginger. Split it: 2 tbsp in a small bowl for the pork sauce, 2 tbsp in another small bowl for the table. Keep them separate.
• Finely chop the 2 tbsp garlic. Put it in a small bowl and cover with the 1/4 cup water. This is the garlic water, for the table.
• Finely chop the 1 oz Chinese celery. Put it in a small bowl for the table.
• Finely slice the coriander, if using. Put it in a small bowl for the table.
• Break up the 8 oz pork with a fork so there are no big clumps.
• In one small bowl, combine the 1/4 cup southern-style chilli-bean paste, 2 tbsp pixian doubanjiang and 5 tsp ground bean sauce. This is the paste bowl.
• Measure the 1 tsp Dried Chilli Oil for the sauce into a small cup. Keep it by the stove.
• Set out a wok or large cast-iron skillet, a spatula, a colander and 4 large bowls.
• Put the table toppings out on the table: garlic water, 2 tbsp Sesame Seeds in Oil, 1 tbsp Dried Chilli Oil, celery, the table ginger, 1 tsp Sichuan peppercorn powder, coriander and 1 tsp Pickled Chillies if using.
• Everything is ready. Wash the board and put the knife away.

Ingredients

• 8 1/2 cupspork broth
• 14 ozrice noodles, fresh or dried (Vietnamese rice sticks work)
• 8 ozpork mince
• 2 tbspvegetable oil, for the sauce
• 2 tbspfinely chopped peeled ginger, for the sauce
• 1/4 cupsouthern-style chilli-bean paste (douban jiang)
• 2 tbspSichuan-style chilli-bean paste (pixian doubanjiang)
• 5 tspground bean sauce (hoisin works)
• 1 tspDried Chilli Oil, for the sauce
• 1/2 cupvegetable oil, for the Sesame Seeds in Oil
• 1/4 cupraw sesame seeds, for the Sesame Seeds in Oil
• 2 tbspSesame Seeds in Oil, to serve
• 1 tbspDried Chilli Oil, to serve
• 2 tbspfinely chopped garlic, to serve
• 1/4 cupwater, to cover the garlic
• 1 ozChinese celery, finely chopped
• 2 tbspfinely chopped peeled ginger, to serve
• 1 tspSichuan peppercorn powder
• 1/2 ozcoriander leaves, finely sliced (optional)
• 1 tspPickled Chillies (optional)

Steps

1. Heat the 2 tbsp vegetable oil in the wok over high, until it shimmers.
2. Add the 2 tbsp sauce ginger and the pork.
3. Stir-fry about 4 minutes, breaking up clumps, until the pork is just cooked through.
4. Add the paste bowl.
5. Cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
6. Stir in the 1 tsp Dried Chilli Oil.
7. Take the pan off the heat. This is the pork sauce. Set it aside.
8. Put the 14 oz noodles in the boiling water.
9. Cook until just soft with a little bite. Check the package for the time on dried noodles and set a timer. While they cook: ladle the hot broth into the 4 large bowls.
10. When the noodles are done, drain them in the colander.
11. Divide the noodles between the 4 bowls of broth.
12. Spoon a quarter of the pork sauce over each bowl.
13. Serve. Everyone adds their own toppings from the table.

Notes

From a Yunnan cookbook (title not recorded). Sesame Seeds in Oil (p. 278), Dried Chilli Oil (p. 276), Sichuan Peppercorn Powder (p. 274), Pickled Chillies (p. 271) and Pork Broth (p. 280) are separate recipes in the book. Broth shortcut that worked: homemade chicken broth plus Knorr pork cubes, 2 cubes first, taste before a third. The cubes are salty, so add no salt. The pork sauce can be made hours ahead.