From My Kitchen: Sechuan Pork Noodles

I have been cooking since forever. I have worked my skills all the way up to a pretty good cook. However, some things I can’t get right, no matter what. Sometimes I don’t have the necessary equipment, sometimes it’s a matter of ingredients, or sometimes I just can’t find the right recipe. The hardest, to me, it Chinese food. If I eat something delicious at a great Chinese restaurant, I try to emulate it at home, so I can have more of it, without going out to eat. Spicy pork noodles definitely caught my tastebuds, so for quite a while now I have been trying to find a recipe that has the same great taste. I finally found one! It basically comes down to the seasoning and spices! So, if you want to try making this delicious recipe, be aware that some of the ingredients are not easily found in an ordinary supermarket. You can find them in Asian markets, or you can order them on Amazon, like I did. It’s worth it!

What you’ll need:

Pork:

1 – 1/2 pounds of pork fillet
2 tbsp Shaoxing Rice Wine
2 tsp light soy sauce
3 tsp water
1 pinch of salt
1 tsp cornstarch

Vegetables:

2 tbsp pickled chili (you can use Italian ones}
1 tsp grated ginger
2 tsp chopped garlic
1/2 cup pre-soaked wood ear mushrooms (soak in hot water for 15 minutes before using)
1/2 cup bamboo shoots
1/2 cup shredded carrots
1 stalk green onion

Sauce:

1 1/2 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1/2 tbsp dark soy sauce
2 tbsp black rice vinegar
2 tbsp sugar
1 1/2 tbsp cornstarch
1 package of spaghetti, cooked

In a bowl, combine all ingredients for the pork. Cut the pork into thin strips. Add pork, stir well, and set aside. In a separate bowl, combine pickled chili, ginger and garlic. Cut the wood ear mushrooms into thin strips.

Mix all ingredients for the sauce in another bowl and mix well. Heat up a wok or a deep frying pan with 3 tbsp of cooking oil (I used peanut oil). Stir in the marinated pork. When the meat is cooking though, transfer to a plate and set aside.

Fry the the pickled chili mix in the wok for about 3 minutes. Add the mushrooms, bamboo shoots and carrots.

Add the pork and keep stirring for about a minute. Pour in the sauce (stir well before adding to avoid letting the cornstarch settle on the bottom). Stir well. Add noodles and stir. Top off with chopped green onion.