Changwang Mian

Ingredients

• 400 g fresh thin alkaline egg noodles
• 400 g pork intestine, cleaned
• 2 tbsp plain flour, for cleaning
• 3 tbsp coarse salt, for cleaning
• 3 tbsp black rice vinegar, for cleaning
• 300 g pork blood curd, cut into 1 cm slabs
• 250 g skin-on pork belly, cut into 1 cm dice
• 1.4 litres pork bone stock
• 5 tbsp ciba chilli oil, with sediment
• 2 tbsp Shaoxing wine
• 25 g ginger, sliced
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 star anise
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tsp sugar
• 150 g soybean sprouts
• 3 spring onions, finely sliced
• 1 tsp salt
• 0.5 tsp ground white pepper

Before you cook

• Rub the pork intestine hard with the flour, coarse salt and vinegar, then rinse it under running water and repeat twice more until it smells clean.
• Turn the intestine inside out and strip away any loose fat.
• Cut the pork belly into 1 centimetre dice.
• Cut the blood curd into 1 centimetre slabs and keep it in cold water.
• Slice the ginger, crush the garlic and slice the spring onions.

Steps

1. Put the cleaned intestine in a pan with cold water, the Shaoxing wine and half the ginger, and bring to the boil.
2. Boil for 5 minutes, skimming the surface, then drain and rinse the intestine.
3. Return the intestine to the pan with the remaining ginger, garlic, star anise, cinnamon, soy sauce, sugar and enough water to cover.
4. Simmer gently for 75 minutes, until the intestine is tender enough to cut with the side of a spoon.
5. Lift out the intestine, cool it slightly and slice it into 2 centimetre lengths.
6. Put the diced pork belly into a cold dry frying pan and set it over low heat.
7. Render the pork slowly for 25 minutes, stirring now and then, until the fat has run out and the pieces are hard and golden.
8. Scoop out the crisp pork and drain it on kitchen paper, reserving the lard.
9. Bring the pork stock to a simmer in a large pan and season it with the salt and white pepper.
10. Slide the blood curd slabs into the stock and poach them for 4 minutes at a bare simmer, so they do not crumble.
11. Blanch the soybean sprouts in a separate pan of boiling water for 1 minute, then drain them.
12. Cook the noodles in the same boiling water for 90 seconds, until springy but not soft.
13. Drain the noodles and divide them between four deep bowls.
14. Ladle over the hot stock and lift a share of the blood curd into each bowl.
15. Top each bowl with the sliced intestine, blanched sprouts, crisp pork and a tablespoon of the reserved lard.
16. Spoon over the ciba chilli oil, scatter with spring onion and serve immediately.