Handmade Pork Noodles 肉丝手擀面

| By: Andrew Li |

A fusion between noodles from two provinces, this recipe combines the flavorsome toppings of Hunan-style stir-fry and the handcrafted noodles from Shanxi. It serves as a symbol of unity, depicting the harmony between two vastly different cuisines in geographically separate regions located within China. With basic materials like pork and flour, anyone can make a delicious bowl of noodles following this recipe.

Ingredients

Yield: Recipe makes a serving for one, can be directly scaled up for more servings. 

Cooking Time: 30-45 minutes of preparation; 30-45 minutes of cooking

• 200g Pork tenderloin (Thick chop)

• 400g All-purpose flour

• 200ml Chicken/pork stock^[1]

• One bunch of Scallions

• 3 Cloves of Garlic

• 2 tbsp Dark soy sauce

• 1 tbsp Corn starch

• 4 tsp Lard (Or vegetable cooking oil as alternative)

• 1 tbsp Cooking wine

• 3 tsp Table salt

• 1 tsp Sesame oil

• 1 tsp vinegar

• 0.5 tsp MSG (Optional)

• 0.5 tsp soda ash

Cooking Instructions

Dough:

1. Measure 2 tsp of salt & 0.5 tsp soda ash into a small bowl and dissolve in 150mL of lukewarm water (warm to the touch).

2. Measure 400g of all-purpose flour into a large mixing bowl. With a pair of chopsticks or fork, gradually add in the warm saline over the course of ~5 minutes, making sure all the water has been absorbed by the flour before adding again. 

3. Once the dough has roughly taken shape, move onto a clean surface and knead until smooth on the outside, or for ~10 minutes.^[2]

4. Roll and spread the dough into a rough rectangular sheet no more than 0.2cm in thickness. Powder both sides of the sheet with dry flour and then fold together in the horizontal direction three or four times, or until the folded sheet is no wider than your palm. 

5. Slice the folded sheet into noodles by cutting along the unfolded edge, no more than 0.5cm in thickness. Lift all the noodles up and shake around while sprinkling dry flour on them to prevent them from sticking together. Set aside for later. 

Pork Stir-fry:

1. Remove most of the fat from the pork chop, then slice it into thin pieces in one direction.^[3] Put all the pork into a medium-sized bowl and mix well with the following ingredients:

   1. 1 tbsp Dark soy sauce

   2. 1 tbsp Corn starch

   3. 1 tbsp Cooking wine

2. Set aside to marinate.^[4] Meanwhile, take out scallions and slice them into ~2cm long sections. Isolate a very small portion of the sliced scallion tops and shred them for use as garnish. Pound and slice 3 cloves of garlic on the same board and set all aside.

3. Place a large wok (Preferred), frypan, or skillet on high heat. Add in 3 tsp of cooking oil and wait until faint smoke can be seen rising from the oil surface. 

4. Sprinkle on all the sliced garlic, then put in the marinated pork and stir-fry for ~5 minutes or until all pieces of pork are separated and mostly cooked.^[5] Add the sectioned scallions and stir-fry for another ~5 minutes or until pork is visibly caramelized. Set aside for later.

Noodles:

1. On medium heat, bring a pot of water to boil. In a separate pot, add the chicken/pork stock and bring to simmer. Meanwhile, prepare a medium-sized bowl for serving. In the bowl, add the following ingredients:

   1. 1 tbsp Dark soy sauce

   2. 1 tsp vinegar

   3. 1 tsp Salt

   4. 1 tsp Sesame oil

   5. 1tsp Lard (Preferred but optional)

   6. 0.5 tsp MSG (Optional)

2. Stir in all the noodles and cook until the water boils again. Meanwhile, fill half of the serving bowl with simmering chicken/pork stock. Make sure to leave enough space for the noodles and topping. Once the water boils again, pour in around 100mL of cold water along the edges. Stirring every minute, cook until water boils one more time or until desired texture. 

3. Empty the noodles into a bowl with stock and top with the stir-fried pork. Garnish lightly with shred scallion tops and a bowl of freshly cooked pork noodles can be served! 

Notes

• Typically, pork stock will be used for its homogeneity with the stir-fried pork, but chicken stock can also be used as an alternative. Traditionally, this would be any soup left over from other previously cooked dishes. 

• Kneading the dough for too long will cause it to become too chewy, which should generally be avoided unless preferred for personal taste. In this recipe, the dough is perfect when little to no clumps of unmixed flour can be seen in the dough.

• If the pork chop is too hard to slice into thin pieces, one can freeze the porkchop for ~15-20 minutes to harden for easier slicing. For maximum tenderness, slice the pieces perpendicular to the chop's natural pattern. 

• Everything until this step can be done one day prior, if necessary, but all prepared ingredients should be properly sealed with plastic wrap and kept in the fridge. 

• If the pork pieces start sticking together or to the pan, more cooking oil might be needed. Stir vigorously within the first minute to separate all the pieces and prevent clustering.