Xie Laoban's Dan Dan Noodles

I settled on this dish immediately prior to vacation because it looked quick and easy and used ingredients I had on hand. Unfortunately, I thought I had sesame paste, but in reality had soybean paste, so I ended up substituting peanut butter much to my chagrin. I also omitted the preserved vegetables.

One year ago: Bolognese Meat Sauce (which happens to be simmering on my stove right now)

Xie Laoban's Dan Dan Noodles (from Land of Plenty)


Ingredients
340g dried Chinese noodles
Meat Toppings
1 tbsp peanut oil
3 Sichuanese dried chiles, snipped in half, seeds discarded
1/2 tsp whole Sichuan pepper
2 tbsp Sichuanese ya cai or Tianjin preserved vegetables (I omitted)
115g ground beef (I doubled)
2 tsp light soy sauce
salt to taste
Sauce (I believe I doubled this with the beef)
1/2 - 1 tsp ground roasted Sichuan pepper
1/4 tsp salt
4 tsp sesame paste (see notes above)
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp dark soy sauce
2 tbsp chili oil with chile flakes

1. Heat 1 tbsp peanut oil in a wok over medium heat. Add chiles and Sichuan pepper and stir fry until oil is spicy and fragrant.
2. Add meat, splash in soy sauce, and stir fry until meat is brown and a little crispy. Season with salt to taste. Remove mixture and set aside.
3. Put sauce ingredients in a serving bowl and mix together.
4. Cook noodles according to package directions. Drain and add to sauce in serving bowl.
5. Sprinkle with meat mixture and serve immediately, stirring before serving.