Chengdu-Style Dan Dan Noodles

成都担担面

Chengdu-Style Dan Dan Noodles — SichuanChengdu home cooking.

Ingredients

• Sichuan peppercorns
• roasted unsalted peanuts
• light soy sauce
• Chinese black vinegar
• ground pork
• fresh wheat noodles

Instructions

1. Toast Sichuan peppercorns in a dry wok over medium heat until fragrant and slightly smoking, about 2 minutes. Cool completely, then grind with roasted peanuts into a coarse powder using a mortar or spice grinder. (Peppercorns puff slightly and darken at edges)
2. Heat 1 tbsp neutral oil in same wok over medium-high heat. Add ground pork and stir-fry until crumbled and no pink remains (~3 min). Push pork to side; add 1 tsp doubanjiang and stir-fry 30 seconds until oil turns brick-red. (Oil shimmers and reddens around the edges of the paste)
3. Return pork to center. Stir in light soy sauce, Chinese black vinegar, 1 tsp sugar, and 2 tbsp water. Simmer 2 minutes until thickened and glossy. Remove from heat; stir in Sichuan-peanut powder. (Sauce coats spoon thickly and leaves clear trail)
4. Cook noodles in plenty of boiling salted water until just tender (al dente), ~3 minutes for fresh noodles. Drain well—do not rinse. (Noodles separate easily and show slight white core when bitten)
5. Divide noodles between two bowls. Spoon warm sauce generously over top. Garnish with chopped scallions and a drizzle of sesame oil. (Sauce glistens and clings without pooling)