My Spicy Sesame Chicken with Noodles is based on the deliciously spicy dan dan noodles of China. It’s a bit simpler than the original version and uses chicken mince instead of pork to make it a bit lighter. It has all the good things right in one bowl and is pure comfort food. I absolutely love chilli, but if you’re cooking this for kids or sensitive palettes you can make this less spicy by adding a little of the chilli oil at a time. Hope you love this as much as I do. Karen x
SERVES 4
PREP 20 MIN
COOK 15 MIN
What you’ll need:
1 tbs grapeseed oil
600g chicken thigh mince
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbs dark soy sauce
2 tbs light soy sauce
1 tbs Shaoxing wine
3 tbs tahini (75g)
1 tbs honey
80g preserved mustard greens, drained & roughly chopped
500g Szechuan noodles, or Udon noodles
sliced spring onion & fresh coriander, to serve
Chilli Oil
1 cup vegetable oil
1 cinnamon stick
2 star anise
2 whole cloves
2 bay leaves
2 tbs Szechuan peppercorns
2 tbs dried chilli flakes
1 tbs chilli powder
¼ tsp salt
What to do:
For the Chilli Oil, place oil, cinnamon stick, star anise, cloves, bay leaves and Szechuan peppercorns in a small saucepan over low heat. Gently simmer for 8 minutes until very aromatic. Remove from heat and strain oil through a fine sieve (discard spices). Add chilli flakes, chilli powder and salt to the oil and stir to combine. Set aside.
Meanwhile, heat a wok or large non-stick frypan over medium-high heat. Add oil and chicken mince and stir-fry for 5 minutes until browned. Add garlic and cook for a further 1 minute until fragrant. Add dark soy, light soy, Shaoxing wine, tahini and honey and cook for 1-2 minutes until combined. Add the preserved mustard greens, a quarter cup of the chilli oil and toss together.
Cook noodles according to packet instructions. Drain and divide between serving bowls. Top the noodles with sesame chicken and spoon over extra chilli oil, spring onion and coriander.
