Ingredients
| NOODLES | |
| 380g plain flour | |
| ½ teaspoon salt | |
| 160ml water | |
| vegetable oil | |
| LAMB MARINADE | |
| 400-450g lamb leg or shoulder cut, cut across the grain into thin slices | |
| 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine | |
| 1 tablespoon soy sauce | |
| 2 tablespoons cornflour | |
| SPICE MIX | |
| 2 tablespoons cumin seeds | |
| 1 teaspoon coriander seeds | |
| 1 tablespoon Sichuan peppercorns | |
| TO FINISH | |
| ¼ cup vegetable oil | |
| 2 green capsicums, cut into 3cm pieces | |
| 3 spring onions, cut into 3-4cm pieces | |
| 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped | |
| 3cm-piece ginger, peeled, grated | |
| 1 can (400g) baby corn, drained, cut into halves | |
| 1 tablespoon black vinegar | |
| 2-3 tablespoons chilli crisp | |
| 2 teaspoons soy sauce | |
| 2 teaspoons sesame oil | |
| sesame seeds, to serve |
Hand-cut or hand-pulled noodles are made with a basic dough with a 2:1 ratio of flour to water. If the thought of slicing these with a cleaver is too terrifying or attempting to pull the noodles too daunting there is a third and super-easy option. Simply cut the noodles with a pair of scissors, which gives a pleasing shape in which the nooks can catch the sauce. Don’t be put off by the long list of ingredients as it comes together reasonably quickly.
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Instructions
| 1. | NOODLES |
| 2. | Combine the flour and salt in a large bowl then stir in the water. |
| 3. | Use your hands to combine to a shaggy, rough dough. Cover and leave for 15 minutes. |
| 4. | Knead again until the dough is smooth. Leave for 30 minutes. |
| 5. | When ready to cook, cut the dough in half and lightly oil the dough and the scissor blades. |
| 6. | Bring a pot of salted water to the boil and, working in a couple of batches, hold one piece of dough over the pot and cut small pieces of the dough with the scissors so they fall into the boiling water. |
| 7. | Once you have cut all the dough, cook the noodles for 2-3 minutes until bite tender, then scoop them out with a spider or similar, and put into iced water. |
| 8. | Alternatively, if the idea of cutting the pasta over the water puts you off, cut the dough onto an oiled tray and then put into the water. |
| 9. | LAMB MARINADE |
| 10. | Marinate the lamb in the Shaoxing, soy sauce and cornflour and set aside while you prepare the other ingredients. |
| 11. | SPICE MIX |
| 12. | Toast the spices in a dry pan for 1-2 minutes until fragrant. |
| 13. | Roughly grind to a coarse powder (in a spice grinder or mortar and pestle). |
| 14. | TO FINISH |
| 15. | Heat half the oil in a wok and, working in batches, fry the marinated lamb for 2-3 minutes, until just cooked. Set aside. |
| 16. | Add the remaining oil, capsicum and spring onions and cook for another minute. |
| 17. | Add the garlic, ginger and baby corn and cook for a minute. |
| 18. | Add the lamb back to the pan along with the cooked noodles, the spice mix, black vinegar, chilli crisp, soy sauce and sesame oil. |
| 19. | Stir well to combine. Adjust seasonings to taste – I often add a little more black vinegar and chilli crisp as I enjoy more of the caramelised acidity and heat they provide. |
| 20. | Put into bowls and scatter over the sesame seeds. Great warm or at room temperature. |
| 21. | VEGETARIAN/VEGAN |
| 22. | Use tofu in place of the lamb. |
| 23. | Dust tofu slices with the cornflour and fry in oil until golden. |
| 24. | Drizzle over the remaining marinade ingredients. Cook for a further minute. |
Recipes & food styling Ginny Grant / Photography Aaron McLean / Styling Fiona Lascelles