Dan Dan Noodles

(from ‘food 4 wibowo’)

Lady-boy food, just a goofy name or good times? All of the above! So freaking fantastic - a total surprise. Think Asian spaghetti with meat sauce. Leftovers (2 days in a row) were wonderful - the pasta didn't dry out, the flavours were more developed, it was the best thing I'd made in ages - seriously, its just that good. Highly recommended for coolish grey days, dreaming of spring.

I made the meat portion one day ahead, so didn't have the 'crispy' end result, but rather I reheated it with the sauce, giving it a bolognese texture, which I think was preferable, but that's just me. Plus I kept chopping more and more green onions to top, as the leftovers kept on coming. Also I used gailan in lieu of the choy sum, as that's what I could find - plus, loves gailan. Oh, and a big handful of bean sprouts I think would add another flavour/texture element - next time! Oh, and pass the Asian chili sauce please - a must.

1 lb ground pork
4 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp salt
2 tbsp honey
3 tbsp peanut (or vegetable) oil
4 tbsp garlic, finely chopped
3 tbsp ginger, peeled and finely chopped
5 tbsp onion, finely chopped
3 tbsp peanut butter
3 tbsp chili oil
1½ tsp sesame oil
½ tsp dry red chili pepper
8 oz chicken stock
1 pkg spaghetti
½ lb of Choy Sum
a bunch of green onions, chopped
1 cup roasted peanuts, finely chopped (I used roasted slivered almonds - yum)

Marinate the ground pork with 1 tbsp of soy sauce of 1 teaspoon of salt for 30 minutes.

In a large skillet, stir fry the pork with 2 tbsp of oil until it's golden. Pour away any excess fat, then add honey and toss until all the ground pork is nicely coated. Cook for another minute and then set aside.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil (to be used to cook the pasta and blanch the greens).

Reheat the skillet and add the remaining 1 tbsp of oil and stir fry the garlic, ginger and onions until fragrant for about 2 mins.

Add the peanut butter, soy sauce, chili oil, sesame oil, dry red chili pepper, salt and chicken stock and simmer for 5-7 mins.

Cook the noodles. Add the greens in the last minute to quickly boil them. Drain well.

Return the noodles, vegetable, cooked meat and the peanut sauce into the pot, stir in roasted nuts.

Serve in massive bowls, with a handful of chopped green onions.