Super-Spicy Dan Dan Noodles

MAKES 4 TO 6 SERVINGS • Dan dan! Sichuan street food done right. This fire flavor bomb is not for the faint of heart. It's the benchmark noodle bowl for the chile lovers of the world and ticks every single box for me. Hot, hot, hot, and absolutely exploding with flavor.

As with all wok-cooked dishes, when the stir-frying starts, this recipe comes together with lightning speed. Mise en place is crucial here-get those veggies chopped, spices measured, and sauces ready to go before you start cooking. Your dish and stress level will be well chuffed that you did.

Ingredients

SAUCE

½ cup chile oil
½ cup chicken stock, bought or homemade
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons sugar 
½ teaspoon five-spice powder 
1 ½ teaspoons Szechuan peppercorns, ground with a mortar and pestle 
2 garlic cloves, finely minced 
2 tablespoons tahini 
1 scallion, finely sliced

PORK AND NOODLES

2 tablespoons sesame oil 
1 pound best-quality ground pork
1 tablespoon chili bean sauce 
2 teaspoons sherry 
1 teaspoon soy sauce 
½ teaspoon five-spice powder 
8 ounces egg noodles 
3 heads baby bok choy, stems removed and leaves separated 
2 scallions, finely sliced 
¼ cup crushed roasted salted peanuts

Method
  1. Make the sauce: In a small saucepan, whisk together all the sauce ingredients except the scallion. Heat over medium low heat just until the sauce starts to simmer. Remove from the heat and whisk in the scallion. Set aside.
  2. Make the pork and noodles: Heat a wok over medium-high heat and add the sesame oil and pork. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring often, until the pork is browned all over. Add the chili bean sauce, sherry, soy sauce, and five-spice and cook for 3 minutes. The sauce will have found a home in the pork and almost disappeared at this point, leaving the pork perfectly crispy and tasting like gold. Set aside.
  3. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the noodles according to the package directions. When about 1 minute of cook time remains, add the bok choy to cook with the noodles. Drain.
  4. Divide the sauce among four to six large noodle bowls. Portion the noodles over the sauce, then add the crispy pork. Top each bowl with the scallions and crushed peanuts and serve immediately.
Source
Eat Delicious - Denis the Prescott, p.139