Szechuan Dan-Dan Noodle Soup

Directions

1. Make the chili oil: If you don’t already have homemade and bottled Sichuan chili oil on hand (why the hell don’t you?), you can put together a quick one. Combine vegetable oil, scallion, ginger, garlic, star anise, cinnamon, green peppercorn and red peppercorn in a small sauce pot. Set over medium heat and let the ingredients fry in the oil until the garlic and scallion are faintly browned. Add the chili flakes, ground coriander, and cumin. Evenly stir and keep frying for another minute until the chili flakes slightly darken in color. Turn off the heat and set it aside (the longer it sits, the better the flavor).
2. Make the dan-dan sauce: Mix the pork evenly with soy sauce and sesame oil. Set aside. Purée garlic, ginger, douban paste, and peanut butter in a food processor until smooth. You don’t have to do this if you don’t mind the sometimes chunky texture of douban paste—just mince the garlic and ginger, then combine it with douban paste and peanut butter. In a medium heavy-bottom pot, nicely brown the pork in 1 tbsp of oil. Add the ground red sichuan peppercorn, puréed paste and sauté until fragrant, with some brown bits forming at the bottom of the pot, approximately 2 minutes. Add the rice wine and deglaze the pot, then add the chicken stock. Bring to a simmer then add 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of sugar to balance out the saltiness. Then add ground white pepper and keep simmering for another 5 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, bring another big pot of water to boil and cook the noodles according to package instructions. I would suggest NOT using fresh noodles as they absorb the sauce too quickly once combined. Drain the noodles once cooked, toss with sauce, and divide them into 2 bowls. Divide the sauce into the same bowls and add a few sprigs of cilantro or diced scallions.
4. Add 2 tablespoons (or more) of the chili oil on top through a sieve. Stir and slurp and… BURN!