Chongqing Suan La Fen (Hot and Sour Sweet Potato Noodles)

Ingredients

• 160g dried sweet potato starch noodles
• 600ml chicken or pork stock
• 4 tbsp Chinkiang vinegar
• 4 tbsp Sichuan chilli oil, with sediment
• 2 tbsp light soy sauce
• 3 garlic cloves, finely grated
• 1 tsp ground roasted Sichuan pepper
• 1/2 tsp ground white pepper
• 1 tsp caster sugar
• 1/2 tsp fine salt
• 4 tbsp zhacai, finely chopped
• 4 tbsp fried soybeans or peanuts
• 2 spring onions, finely sliced
• 1 small handful coriander, chopped
• 100g soy bean sprouts

Before you cook

• Soak the sweet potato noodles in warm water for 20 minutes, until pliable, then drain them.
• Divide the vinegar, soy sauce, chilli oil, garlic, both peppers, sugar and salt between two large bowls.
• Chop the zhacai finely, and rinse it first if it tastes very salty.

Steps

1. Bring the stock to a simmer in a small pan and keep it hot.
2. Bring a second pan of water to a rolling boil.
3. Drop the bean sprouts into the boiling water for 40 seconds, then lift them out and divide them between the bowls.
4. Add the drained noodles to the same boiling water.
5. Cook them for 4 minutes, until they turn from white to glassy grey and slip off the chopsticks.
6. Test a strand, which should be slippery and springy with no chalky centre.
7. Drain the noodles and pile them straight into the seasoned bowls.
8. Ladle the hot stock over the noodles until they are just covered.
9. Stir each bowl from the bottom so the seasonings lift up into the broth.
10. Top with the zhacai, fried soybeans, spring onions and coriander.
11. Serve at once, before the noodles soften any further.