Sichuan Pork Noodles

By vail28

Smart Shopping: Asian Chili Sauces: There are three varieties of Asian chili sauces — sriracha, sambal oelek, and chili-garlic sauce — that we use in the test kitchen, and while all are made from hot chile peppers, they are noticeably different.

Sriracha, made from garlic and chiles ground into a smooth paste, is the spiciest and smoothest of the three, with a heat that's upfront and fades quickly. It also has a slightly vinegary flavor.

Meanwhile, chili-garlic sauce (what you need for this recipe), is similar to sriracha as it is made with garlic and chiles (and other aromatics), but the chiles are only coarsely ground, giving it a chunkier texture. It has a round flavor and is the mildest of the three.

Finally, there is sambal oelek, which is made of coarsely ground chiles only — it contains no garlic or additional spices and so naturally it has the most pure chile flavor (tasters noticed a strong pickle flavor as well). Sambal's heat level falls in the middle, and that heat builds slowly.

Ingredients

• 1 * 1 pound fresh coarse ground pork
• 3 * 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 3 * 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 * 1 tablespoon Asian chili-garlic sauce (see note at end of recipe)
• 1-1/4 * 1-1/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1/3 * 1/3 cup peanut butter
• 3 * 3 tablespoons oyster sauce
• 1 * 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 * 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
• * Salt
• 1 * 1 pound fresh Chinese noodles or linguine
• 2 * 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Details

Servings 4

Preparation

Step 1

1. Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. Meanwhile, combine pork, 2 tablespoons vinegar, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, and chili-garlic sauce in bowl. In another bowl, whisk broth, peanut butter, oyster sauce, remaining vinegar, and remaining soy sauce.

2. Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add pork mixture and cook until no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Stir in ginger and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add broth mixture and simmer until slightly thickened, about 4 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, add 1 tablespoon salt and noodles to boiling water and cook until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup cooking water, drain noodles, and return to pot. Add sauce and toss to combine, adding reserved pasta water as needed. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve.