FIVE SPICE SZECHUAN PORK NOODLES

Hey folks,

Hope you all are keeping your sanity intact in such trying times, not only for your own self but also the family. Let's send out good vibes to the universe for the ones suffering, because positivity and faith will turn out to be the best medicine during times like this.

But having said that, we need to eat. That I am sure all readers and non-readers will agree is a basic thing for the existence of human race. I absolutely stand by the advice of learned doctors : to eat right & eat healthy, but little doses of treat like this aren't very bad, are they? This for me is a part of my fridge raid expedition. And I think somewhere it will be for yours too.

The pork in question is spiced pork sausages that have been put to good use. I mean real good use. Let me clarify, noodles of one kind is to be used is all cases.  The images narrate a different story because I am mad & also on a cupboard cleaning rage, with all the time in the world during lock-down this is all of us are doing. Right?

Without any further ado lets head to my dream land: The kitchen. Let me show you the ingredients placed messy-ly, like how it happens in a regular kitchen:

1. Start by chopping up the following:  2 Spring onion whites & greens, separately + a thumb sized ginger + 4 cloves of garlic + 1/2 Zucchini +  2 no. salt cured Dalle.
2. De-skin 150 gm of spiced pork sausages and crumble them a with your hand.
3. Heat a wok or pan on medium flame, and add about 1 tbsp of flavor-less vegetable oil. Snip 1 dry red chili directly into the cold oil.Once the oil warms up, add in the crumbled sausage meat and fry for close to 10 minutes till it gives out all it's fat.
4. Heat water with some salt to blanch a handful of french beans for 2 mins max. Once done, fish the beans out and run under the cold running water. Slice them diagonally.
5. Use the same water to blanch 140 gm egg noodles. Drain and run under cold water.

 6. Push aside the browned meat in the pan  make some space. Beat 2 eggs and add to the pan.     Scramble them, as we always do.     
8. Add in the chopped ginger, garlic, zucchini, french beans & green chilies. Stir fry on high flame for couple of seconds.
9. Add in 1+1/2 cup of chicken stock or water. Add 3 tbsp light soy sauce + 1 tsp (heaped) Chinese five spice powder + 1 tsp (leveled) Szechuan pepper powder. Mix in well. Bring it to boil.
10. Once it comes to a boil, add in the noodles and give a good mix till well combined .
11. Finish it with a few drops of toasted sesame oil & chopped spring onion greens.
12. Serve Piping hot in individual serving bowls.

My family and me enjoyed a hot bowlful of this light and super easy to make noodles for dinner few days back, and since then if memory serves me right, I have made it quite a few times. Something tells me, even you will keep going back to this recipe. It is for the keeps.

However as always some clarifications & ramifications are enlisted below:

a. Absolutely do not bother yourself about buying Dalle, green chili works absolutely fine in this case.
b. In the absence of  Szechuan peppercorns, use freshly crushed black pepper.
c. Please feel free to substitute pork with beef or chicken depending on what ever you fancy. In case if you choose chicken, you know he cooking time needs to be much much lesser.
d. It's better to weigh the sausages, because numbers always don't do justice.
e. Please do not  grate the ginger, rather chop it up, as finely as possible for you. Trust me you will like that slight bits of ginger interfering with every mouthful of yours.
f. Also I never make stock. So this time as always, I added 1+1/2 tbsp of chicken stock powder to boiling water.

I promise to take step by step images like I do most of the time. My phone has been giving me a hard time!!
As always I will take your leave with a promise to be back soon. Take care. Keep your spirits high.