Noodles with Pork and Hot Bean Sauce: Diary of a Foodie : gourmet.com

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Diary of a Foodie

Diary of a Foodie: Season One: China: One Billion Foodies

Serves4 (Main Course)

Active Time:15 min
Start to Finish:15 min

January 2007

ADAPTED FROM JEREME LEUNG, WHAMPOA CLUB, SHANGHAI

1 pound dried egg fettucine
5 tablespoons Chinese hot bean sauce (preferably with garlic; sometimes called soybean paste with chili) or Korean gochujang paste
2 teaspoons sugar
1/3 cup peanut or vegetable oil
1/4 cup finely chopped peeled fresh ginger (from a 3- by 1-inch piece)
1 pound fatty ground pork (preferably shoulder)
1/2 cup chopped scallion
1 teaspoon Asian sesame oil

Cook fettuccine in a 6- to 8-quart pot of boiling salted water (1 tablespoon salt for every 4 quarts water) until al dente.
Meanwhile, stir together hot bean sauce and sugar in a small bowl. Heat a wok (preferably flat-bottomed) or a 12-inch heavy skillet (not nonstick) over high heat until a drop of water evaporates immediately, then add peanut oil, swirling wok to coat. Add ginger and stir-fry until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add pork and stir-fry, breaking up lumps, until no longer pink, about 2 minutes. Add bean-sauce mixture and cook, stirring, 3 minutes. Stir in scallion and remove from heat.
Drain noodles in a colander and add to pork mixture in wok. Add sesame oil and toss to coat well.

Cooks' notes: Chinese and Korean bean pastes are quite spicy; adjust the amount you use to suit your taste. They are available at Chinese and Korean markets and koamart.com.

Photograph by Romulo Yanes