Chongqing Xiao Mian

Ingredients

• 300g fresh alkaline wheat noodles
• 6 tbsp Sichuan chilli oil with sediment
• 3 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tbsp Chinkiang black vinegar
• 2 tsp sesame paste, loosened
• 1 tsp sugar
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed with 3 tbsp warm water
• 1 tsp ground roasted Sichuan pepper
• 1 tbsp preserved mustard greens, chopped
• 2 tbsp roasted peanuts, roughly crushed
• 200ml hot unsalted stock or noodle water
• 2 handfuls pea shoots or baby pak choi
• 2 spring onions, finely sliced
• 1 tsp lard or neutral oil

Before you cook

• Crush the garlic with a pinch of salt and steep it in three tablespoons of warm water
• Loosen the sesame paste with a spoonful of warm water until it flows
• Chop the preserved greens and crush the peanuts
• Line up two deep bowls and divide the chilli oil, soy sauce, vinegar, sesame paste, sugar, garlic water, Sichuan pepper and lard between them

Steps

1. Bring a large pan of water to a rolling boil.
2. Ladle a splash of the boiling water into each seasoning bowl and stir to melt everything together.
3. Drop the greens into the boiling water for thirty seconds, then lift them out and set them aside.
4. Add the noodles to the same water and cook them until they are tender with a firm core, about two minutes.
5. Pour the hot stock into each bowl, on top of the seasonings.
6. Lift the noodles straight from the pan into the bowls with tongs, letting them drain only briefly.
7. Lay the greens over the noodles.
8. Scatter each bowl with preserved mustard greens, crushed peanuts and spring onions.
9. Stir the noodles up from the bottom of the bowl before the first mouthful.