PULLED NOODLES WITH PORK

3 min read

My fascination with ancient Chinese culinary arts can be traced back to the first time I saw a chef pulling noodles，starting with a mass of dough and，as ifby magic，slowly pulling it out into hundreds of strands.No book has ever published the method for pulling noodles and there are two reasons for this first，it is difficult to translate the process into words，and second，Chinese chefs are extremely secretive about their skills-I had to beg and bribe chefs in both London and china to get them to teach me.Emphasis is always placed on the pulling stage of creating these noodles but the key to success is in preparing a dough that is pull able in the first place.If you haven’t made it properly，you are heading for sore shoulders and chronic frustration

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

For the noodle dough

500g medium-gluten flour，plus extra for dusting

1 tablespoon salt

about 3 50ml water

vegetable or other flavourless oil，for oiling For the sauce

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

400g minced pork belly meat

15g Shaoxing rice wine

1g salt

50ml light soy sauce

2 5ml chilli oil

1 tablespoon Chinese red vinegar

25g preserved vegetables

10g sugar

200ml chicken stock

To garnish

pinch of sesame seeds

50g spring onions，finely chopped

handful of micro coriander

1.For the noodle dough，combine the flour and salt in a bowl.Slowly mix in enough of the water，50ml at a time，until a dough begins to form.It should be smooth but not overly wet.Cover the bowl with clingfilm and leave at room temperature for 12 hours

2.Remove the clingfilm and check the dough-it should have relaxed and look a lot wetter than originally.Pull the dough to check its elasticity.It should pull like chewing gum，but if it rips，it either needs more water or more resting time.Be patient，and if it is not elastic enough，re-cover andleave to rest for a further hour

3.For the sauce，add the oil to a hot wok and stir-fry the pork until it turns slightly brown.When he moisture is released from the meat，continue to cook until all the liquid evaporates.add the wine and salt and continue to fry until the pork becomes crispy.

4.Mix in the soy sauce，chilli oil，vinegar，preserved vegetables and sugar，then the stock and cook out until almost dry.Keep the sauce warm until the noodles are ready Put a large pan of water on to boil

5. To pull the noodles, follow these instructions and begin the madness! Between each pulling stage, ensure that you dust plenty of flour on to the noodles to prevent them from sticking to one another

6. To cook the noodles, immediately cut the strands away from the bulk of dough and plunge into the pan of boiling water Cook for 30 seconds or until just tender. Remove from the boiling water and plunge directly into iced water to prevent further cooking, then drain

7. When you are ready to return the sauce to the heat add the noodles and toss until coated Serve garnished with the sesame seeds, spring onion greens and micro coriander

CHEFS TIP

Keep your pulled noodles al dente when being cooked by adding around 2 per cent lye water to the volume of boiling water before blanching the noodles init.