Dan Dan Noodles

Inspired by MasterChef Australia's Brendan Pang, I decided to try my hand at his hand pulled dan dan noodles - what a mess! The hand pulled noodles were technically very difficult, especially for a first timer, and ended up being too thick. I therefore recommend packet noodles as the chilli oil, spicy sesame sauce and fried pork are delicious and despite the long ingredient list the rest of the recipe is simple, delicious and comforting.

We have adapted his original recipe which you can find here.

Time: 30 Minutes

Serves: 2

Difficulty: Moderate

Ingredients

Roasted Sichuan Chilli oil

• 1 cup vegetable oil

• 1 stick cinnamon

• 3 star anise, whole

• 2 bay leaves

• 2 tbsp Sichuan peppercorns

• 2 tbsp chilli flakes

• 1 tbsp chilli powder

• salt

Spicy Sesame Sauce

• 1/2 cup Roasted Sichuan Chilli Oil

• 1/4 cup light soy sauce

• 1/4 cup chicken stock

• 40g tahini

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 2 tsp sugar

• 1/4 tsp Chinese five spice powder, toasted

Fried Pork

• 3 tbsp vegetable oil

• 450g fatty pork mince

• 1 1/2 tbsp hoisin sauce

• 1 tbsp mirin

• 2 tsp dark soy sauce

• 1 tsp Chinese Five Spice powder

Extras

• Noodles

• 4 x Bok choy

• 1 tsp of sesame oil

• Chopped peanuts

Method

Roasted Sichuan Chilli Oil

1. For the Roasted Sichuan Chilli Oil, place vegetable oil, cinnamon, star anise, bay leaves, and Sichuan peppercorns into a small saucepan over low heat and cook until the oil becomes fragrant, about 10 minutes. Increase heat to high and cook for a further 2 minutes then remove from the heat.

2. While oil is heating up, place chilli flakes, chilli powder and salt into a medium heatproof bowl. Immediately strain the hot oil through a fine sieve over the chilli. Stir well and set aside until needed.

Spicy Sesame Sauce

1. Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and set aside until needed.

Fried Pork and Bok choy

1. Heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in a wok over medium-high heat. Add pork mince and cook until browned. Add hoisin sauce, mirin, soy sauce and spice powder. Cook until liquid has evaporated. Transfer to a small bowl.

Noodles and Bok Choy

1. Cook your noodles according to the packet instructions

2. In a small pan on medium heat, heat the oil.

3. Slice the bok choy in half length ways and place the cut side in the pan let cook until a golden brown crust forms and the bok choy is tender.

Assembly

1. In a bowl, add the spicy sesame sauce to the bottom (approximately 1/4 cup), top with the noodles and bok choy, drizzle over some chilli oil and chopped peanuts. Toss well before serving.

Happy cooking!

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