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Chinese Sesame Chili Noodles

Deliciously savory and nutty Chinese-style noodle bowl
Total Time45 minutes
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: Chinese
Keyword: noodles, pork, sesame
Servings: 4

Ingredients

Meat:

  • 400 g ground pork (1 lb)
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 2 tbsp rice wine or white wine

Peanuts:

  • ¼ tsp neutral oil
  • 60 g roasted, salted peanuts (6 tbsp)
  • ½ tsp paprika

Sauce:

  • 1 ½ tbsp peanut butter
  • 2 ½ tbsp water
  • 1 tsp sesame oil
  • 1 ½ tbsp sesame seeds
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • 3 tbsp soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar
  • ½ tbsp rice wine or white wine
  • ½ tsp black pepper or ground Sichuan pepper
  • ½ tsp Chinese five spice powder see note 1
  • ½ tbsp chili paste see note 2
  • 1 tbsp neutral oil
  • ¾ tsp sugar

Noodles & vegetables

  • 300 g Chinese wheat noodles
  • 4 carrots
  • 2 handfuls of spinach leaves
  • Cilantro and scallions to garnish

Instructions

  • Cook the meat: Heat a pan over medium heat, and cook the pork with the 2 minced garlic cloves until slightly browned and no longer pink. Deglaze the pan with 2 tbsp rice wine or white wine.
  • Flavor the peanuts: Mix the peanuts with a ¼ tsp oil and ½ tsp paprika to coat the peanuts.
  • Mix the sauce: Mix the peanut butter and 1 tbsp water to thin out the texture. Mix in the remaining 1 ½ tbsp water. Then mix in the rest of the sauce ingredients. The sauce will be thin.
  • Cook the noodles and vegetables: Bring a large pot of water to boil (see note 3).
  • Meanwhile, peel the carrots and shave them lengthwise into ribbons with a peeler. Wash the spinach, then chop it or leave in larger pieces, as desired.
  • Once the water is boiling, cook the noodles and vegetables in the same pot: Cook the noodles for the time indicated on the package, and add the carrot ribbons for the last 60 seconds and the spinach for the last 15 seconds of cooking. Swirl the noodles around occasionally to reduce sticking.
  • Drain the noodles and vegetables, rinse, and mix in a couple tablespoons of sauce to help avoid sticky noodles.
  • Serve: Arrange the noodles and greens on a plate, and top with the meat, peanuts, scallions, and cilantro. Drizzle sauce over everything.

Notes

  1. To make your own Chinese five spice powder, crush 1 star anise, ½ tsp fennel seed, 1 clove, 3 peppercorns (either Szechuan pepper or black pepper) with a mortar and pestle. Add ¼ tsp ground cinnamon. You could also grind whole cinnamon, if desired.
  2. Chili pastes such as sambal oelek or sriracha will work, though many other options exist. Adjust the amount to suit the level of heat you desire, depending on what chili paste you pick. I used ½ tbsp sambal oelek, and it was mild in the finished dish.
  3. Use a large pot to boil the noodles in step 4. Flat Chinese wheat noodles tend to stick together if not stirred and separated just after putting in the boiling water. This can leave some noodles cooked and others hard. A large pot will help avoid this problem.