Ingredients
1/4 cup well-stirred Chinese sesame paste or tahini (see Tips)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 to 2 tablespoons chile crisp, preferably Sichuanese, plus more for serving
2 to 3 teaspoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon Chinkiang vinegar or balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 cup ya cai (Sichuan preserved mustard greens) or other finely chopped Chinese pickled or preserved mustard vegetables (see Tips)
1 large garlic clove, finely chopped
8 ounces ground pork
1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine or other rice wine
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 teaspoons tian mian jiang (sweet wheat sauce) or hoisin
1 pound fresh Chinese wheat noodles (see Tips)
8 to 12 bok choy or gai lan (Chinese broccoli), optional
Chopped roasted, salted peanuts, ground Sichuan peppercorns and finely sliced scallions, for topping
Directions
1
Start the sauce: Set a large pot of water to a boil. Meanwhile, mix the sesame paste, soy sauce, sesame oil, chile crisp, brown sugar and vinegar in a large bowl. The mixture will be thick. Taste and add more chile oil or brown sugar (or other seasonings) to your liking.
2
Make the meat: Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a wok or large, deep skillet over high. Add the ya cai and cook, stirring, until softened and fragrant, about 1 minute. Scrape half into the sauce bowl. Add the remaining oil to the wok. When it’s hot, add the garlic and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the pork and cook, smashing it into the vegetables and stirring to break it into tiny bits. When its pinkness fades after a few minutes, add the wine, soy sauce and tian mian jiang, and stir until the pork is cooked through. Keep warm over low.
3
Finish the sauce: Scoop 1/4 cup boiling water from the pot and add to the sauce. Stir until smooth. The sauce should run off the spoon. If it doesn’t, add more boiling water a tablespoon at a time.
4
Make the noodles: Drop the noodles into the pot of boiling water, stir and cook until there’s still a bite in the center, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the bok choy and cook until bright green and the noodles are just tender, about 1 minute longer. Drain and run under hot tap water to rinse excess starch off the noodles.
5
Slide the noodles and bok choy over the sauce, scrape the pork and its sauce on top, then sprinkle with peanuts and scallions if you want. Top with more chile crisp if you’d like. Mix well and enjoy immediately.