Dan Dan Noodles

Ingredients:

Meat:

• 1 1/2 pounds lean ground pork

• 3 tablespoons coconut amino or soy sauce

• 3 tablespoons sherry cooking wine

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 1/2 cup peanuts or other nut coarsely chopped

• 4 teaspoons ginger root minced

• 1/4 cup kimchi chopped

• 4 teaspoons red chili flakes

Sauce:

• 6 tablespoons Chinese sesame paste or 5 tablespoons tahini + 1 tablespoon sesame oil

• 6 tablespoons water

• 8 garlic cloves minced

• 1/2 cup coconut aminos or soy sauce

• 4 tablespoons rice vinegar

• 2 teaspoons ground Sichuan pepper or 1 teaspoon black pepper + 1 teaspoon ground coriander

• 1/2 cup chili oil

• 1 tablespoon honey

Noodles:

• 1 pound whole wheat spaghetti noodles

• 12 ounces baby spinach

• 4 scallions thinly sliced

Utensils:

• knife

• cutting board

• 2 mixing bowls

• large skillet

• mixing spatula

• plate

• whisk

• large pot

• colander

Instructions:

1. prepare ingredients

Meat:

1. get a mixing bowl and add 1 1/2 lbs of ground pork

2. add 3 tbsp of coconut aminos to the bowl

3. add 3 tbsp of sherry cooking wine to the bowl and use your had to mix the liquid into the meat until fully absorbed

Toppings:

1. add 1 tbsp of olive oil into a large skillet and place on the stover over low heat

2. add 1/2 cup of chopped nuts to the pan and fry until golden brown then remove to a plate and set aside

3. raise the heat to medium and add 4 tsp of minced ginger and sauce until fragrant

4. add the ground pork into the skillet

5. add 1/4 cup chopped kimchi to the skillet

6. add 4 tsp of red chili flakes to the skillet and cook together until the pork is fully cooked

Sauce:

1. get a mixing bowl and add 6 tbsp of sesame paste

2. add 6 tbsp of water to the bowl and whisk together until smooth

3. add 8 minced garlic cloves to the bowl

4. add 1/2 cup of coconut aminos to the bowl

5. add 1/4 cup of rice vinegar to the bowl

6. add 2 tsp of Sichuan pepper to the bowl

7. add 1/2 cup chili oil to the bowl

8. add 1 tbsp of honey to the bowl and whisk together until combined

9. pour the sauce into the skillet with the meat and allow it to cook and simmer for 5 minutes then remove from heat

Noodles:

1. bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil

2. add 1 lb of whole wheat pasta to the water and boil for 7-9 minutes until al dente

3. toward the end of the noodles being done, add 12 oz of baby spinach to the pot and allow it to boil until wilted

4. strain out the noodles and spinach into a colander and rinse under cold water for a few seconds

When you are ready for serving, add some noodles and spinach into a bowl and top with the saucy meat mixture and garnish with sliced scallions.