Dan Dan Noodles

Fresh pasta: ~200 g (0.45 lb) thin egg noodles.

Meat texture: 100 g pork or beef, ground; 1 tbsp peanut oil; 2 cloves garlic, minced; 1 tbsp ginger, minced; 30 g white cabbage, thinly sliced; 2 scallions (or new leek), chopped; 1 red pepper, chopped; 1 tbsp Chinese rice wine; ½ tsp salt, or salt to taste; optional: roasted peanuts, crushed.

Sauce: 50 ml chicken stock; 2 tbsp soy sauce; 1 tbsp sesame paste or tahini; 2 tsp sesame oil; chili oil to taste; 1 tsp sugar; 1 tbsp black rice vinegar; ½ tsp Sichuan pepper, ground.

Preparation:

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil.
2. For the sauce: whisk together the ingredients. Set aside.
3. Heat a wok or skillet over medium-high heat. Heat oil. Add garlic, ginger, white parts of the scallions and cabbage. Cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the meat and stir-fry until crispy and brown. Add rice wine to deglaze the pan. Season.
4. Meanwhile, boil the noodles, drain, rinse shortly under cold water to stop the cooking process, but keep warm. Drain and transfer to a serving dish.
5. Pour the sauce over the noodles and serve with the meat, topped with the chopped scallion greens and optional peanuts.

You can use tapioca vinegar instead of black vinegar, dry sherry instead of Chinese rice wine, and white pepper instead of Sichuan pepper.