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Suan La Mian
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Kunming Suanlamian (Sour and Spicy Noodles)

Author: Michelle Zhao of No Sweet Sour for The Mala Market

Ingredients

Spicy pork tenderloin

  • 1 pork tenderloin (about 1 pound)
  • 2 tablespoons ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
  • 1 Chinese black cardamom (caoguo) or star anise
  • 1 green onion
  • 3½ teaspoons Sichuan peppercorns, divided
  • 3 tablespoons finely ground chilies (plus more to taste)
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 teaspoon sesame seed
  • ½ teaspoon fennel seed

For each noodle bowl

  • 2 large fresh, ripe tomatoes 
  • 1 tablespoon roasted rapeseed oil (or peanut oil)
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 1 teaspoon red Sichuan peppercorns
  • 1 thinly sliced dried red chili 
  • 1 thinly sliced fresh green chili
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon sugar
  • 100 grams (3.5 ounces) dried medium wheat noodles 
  • 1 handful leafy greens, cut or torn in large pieces
  • 3 tablespoons dark Chinese vinegar (Baoning or Zhenjiang; plus more to taste)
  • 1 tablespoon Chinese light soy sauce (Zhongba preferred)
  • 2 tablespoons chili oil, divided
  • 3 to 4 slices spicy pork tenderloin, thinly sliced (optional)
  • 1 green onion, green part only, finely chopped

Instructions

Spicy pork tenderloin

  • Bring 10½ cups (2½ liters) water to a boil in a stockpot and add whole pork tenderloin, ginger, black cardamom, green onion and ½ teaspoon Sichuan peppercorn. Cover the pot and simmer-boil over medium heat for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat—but do not remove the lid—and let the tenderloin soak in the stock for 20 minutes. Remove the tenderloin from the pot, transfer to a bowl of icy water and let it chill until completely cooled down. When cool, remove and pat the tenderloin dry with a paper towel. 
  • In a small skillet fry salt, 3 teaspoons Sichuan peppercorn, sesame seed and fennel seed over low heat until aromatic, about 5 to 8 minutes. Allow spices to cool, then grind them into a fine powder. In a medium-sized bowl, mix the spice powder with ground chilies, tasting to adjust the amount of chili to your liking.
  • Rub the mix on the tenderloin until the spice fully covers all surfaces. Wrap the tenderloin tightly in foil, refrigerate and let the spice work its magic for at least 6 hours. Store in the fridge for up to 4 days. The flavor is at its best from the second day. Thinly slice room-temperature tenderloin for use as a noodle topping (or serve on its own as a cold side dish). 

For each noodle bowl

  • Cut a cross on the bottom of one tomato. Bring water to a boil in small sauce pan, add tomato and boil for 3 minutes, until the tomato skin is starting to peel off. Rinse the tomato under cold water and peel off the skin. Discard the seeds using a small spoon, then finely chop. Set aside. Dice the other tomato into bite-size pieces and discard the seeds. Set aside.
  • Heat a wok (or other medium-size pot) until moderately hot and add oil. Fry garlic and Sichuan peppercorn over medium heat until the aroma releases and the garlic is turning slightly golden; be careful not to brown. Add the skinned tomatoes from step one and stir-fry over medium heat, pressing with a spoon to loosen up the tomatoes until they become a puree-like sauce. Season with salt and sugar.  Add both the dried and fresh chillies (reduce or omit seeds to lower heat level) and stir-fry for about one minute. Add 3½ cups (about 800 ml) hot water and bring to a boil.
  • Add the noodles to the boiling soup and stir with a pair of chopsticks to keep them from sticking together. Cover the wok with a lid and boil over high heat until the noodles become softened. Add the leafy greens to the wok. When greens and noodles appear almost cooked, season with soy sauce, vinegar and one tablespoon chili oil.
  • Turn off the heat when the noodles are just cooked through and transfer into a large noodle bowl. The hot stock will continue to cook the noodles even after being removed from the heat. Top the soup with spicy pork loin slices (if using), green onion, and chopped fresh tomatoes. Drizzle 1 tablespoon chili oil over the top.

Notes

  • Select thin, flat wheat noodles, but avoid using the very thin type that looks like a thread. The wider the noodle, the more flavorful it will get in the broth. Extend the cooking time and add more hot water if you select a type of noodle that is about 1 cm wide.
  • If you use a saucepan instead of a wok for cooking the noodles, reduce the hot water to 600 ml instead of 800 ml. Covering with a lid prevents the stock from evaporating during the cooking process, but you can always add more water if needed. If the broth is too thin, you can remove the lid to let the stock reduce.
  • For added crunch, garnish with a tablespoon of deep-fried peanuts.