The trick to this bold Sichuan dish-street food-style noodles that took this country by storm in the 1980s and became an all-American favorite-is not to let the noodles sit in the sauce for very long. Toss them together a few seconds before serving. You can find recipes that are more authentic than this one (we've stuck to supermarket ingredients), but we doubt they'll be better. If you want to dress up the noodles for a party, spread them on a roomy platter and garnish them with all sorts of interesting things.
I substituted coconut milk for heavy cream and doubled the pepper flakes. Cannellini beans are labelled as "White Kidney Beans" in my supermarket. Panko adds a nice crunch to the arugula. Great recipe!
