Hot Dry Noodles

Hot Dry Noodles, not the most inspiring name for a dish, but don’t let it put you off, this is an absolute cracker.

I had these noodles in Cambridge from a stall on the market called Jian Bing. I don’t know why I chose them as the picture wasn’t great and the name, even less inspiring. However, the food was stunning. We bought it and sat on the wall outside Kings College, probably the nicest place to eat a streetfood lunch in Cambridge. The noodles were so tasty, so spicy, so inspiring. When I got home we did the research and here’s our take on them.

Cooking surfaces

BBQ Temperature

BBQ Temperature

Ingredients

2 portions of Dan Dan noodles – these are wheat noodles and can be substituted with ramen or even spaghetti, precook until they are al dente and cool with cold water. Then drain.
2 tbsp groundnut oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
4 spring onions, cut into small slices for the white bit and 2 cm pieces for the green part
2 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp dark soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
2 tbsp toasted sesame paste – if you can’t get it use 2 tbsp tahini and 1 tsp sesame oil
4 tbsp pickled long beans – if you can’t get them from your local Asian store, use fine green beans
2 leaves of pickled mustard leaves – substitute could be some sauerkraut
1 tbsp black Chinese vinegar – substitute 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
Chilli oil to taste – we like the crispy chilli oil
Sliced pickled radish to garnish
1 Spring onion to garnish
Sesame seeds to garnish
Crispy shallots (deep fried on a low heat for 30 minutes)
1 thai red chilli

Equipment

Big Green Egg Wok
EGGspander Basket

Method

Set up your Big Green Egg for a direct cook with either your stainless steel grid, or preferably your EGGspander basket. You need a temp of 200°C.
Add your wok to get it hot.
Once your wok is hot, pour in the groundnut oil, add the garlic and fry for 30 seconds.
Add your white pieces of spring onion and fry for a further 30 seconds.
Add your picked long beans or fine green bean pieces and fry for 30 seconds.
Drop in your part cooked noodles, light soy, dark soy, sesame oil, and your sesame paste (water it down with 4 tbsp of water before adding).
Stir together.
Add your green pieces of spring onion and pickled mustard leaves and fry for 1 minute.
Pour in your black vinegar and cook for 30 seconds.
Remove from the heat and add to bowls to serve.
Garnish with pickled radish, slices of green spring onion, crispy shallots, chilli, sesame seeds, and chilli oil to taste.