Sichuan Spicy Cold Noodles 四川涼麵

Yi Reservation is a treasure trove of great Chinese recipes. We sent him a bottle of Su Chili Crisp, and he was so kind to take these photos and incorporate our chili crisp into his recipe for cold noodles.  

Ingredients

• 1 lb TMI egg lo mein noodles or plain fresh noodles
• handful of mung bean sprouts
• ½ carrot, shredded
• Chopped scallion for garnish

Garlic Ginger Infused Water

• 2 clove garlic, minced
• 1 two-inch slice ginger

Spicy Cold Noodle Sauce

• 4 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp chili oil + more
• 1 tbsp Chinese black vinegar
• ½ tsp sesame oil
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ - 1 tsp Sichuan peppercorn powder

Instructions

1. To prepare the noodles, bring a large pot of water to a boil and drop in the noodles. Spread out the noodle strands with a spatula or long chopsticks to let noodles cook evenly. Cook the noodles until al dente according to the instructions, usually takes 2-4 minutes. For the TMI egg lo mein noodles, it takes about 3:30 minutes.
2. Remove the noodles from the boiling water and immediately submerge the noodles in cold running water for 1 minute until the noodles are cool to touch.
3. Drain the excess water in a mesh strainer or colander. Add 3 tbsp of cold cooking oil to the noodles and mix thoroughly. Transfer the noodles to a bowl and cover with food wrap. Chill in the fridge for at least one hour before serving.
4. Bring another pot of water to a boil then blanch the bean sprouts for 10 seconds. Remove and set aside to cool.
5. To make the garlic ginger infused water, combine the minced garlic and ginger with 1/3 cup of water in a small bowl. Stir and let infuse for at least 30 minutes. Can be made a day ahead and stored in the fridge. When ready to use, filter out the garlic and ginger and keep the infused water.
6. To make the spicy cold noodle dressing/sauce, combine all the sauce ingredients except for the Sichuan peppercorn powder in a bowl, add the infused ginger and garlic water then mix well until ingredients are fully incorporated.
7. To serve, arrange the chilled noodles, bean sprouts, and carrots in four bowls.
8. Add a quarter of the noodle sauce and Sichuan peppercorn powder to each bowl. Add additional chili oil to your own taste. Garnish with chopped scallion and serve immediately.