Ingredients:

Marinade for Meat or Tofu
  • 2 teaspoons shaoxing wine or sherry
  • 1 teaspoon soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
  • 2 teaspoons chinkiang vinegar — Chinese black vinegar
  • 2 teaspoons sesame oil
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons Xinjiang Spice Mix
  • 5 ounces ground meat or crumbled extra firm tofu
  • 2 teaspoons oil

Sauce
  • 2 tablespoons sesame oil
  • 2 each scallion — sliced
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons Xinjiang Spice Mix
  • 2 tablespoons cilantro — roughly chopped
  • 1/2 cup broth or shiitake mushroom soaking water or water
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
  • 1/4 cup Chinkiang vinegar or Chinese black vinegar
  • 2 teaspoons sucanat or brown sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Noodles
  • 2 tablespoons oil — divided
  • 1 ounce dried shiitake mushroom
  • 1/2 cup chopped pickled Chinese vegetable (ya cai or mustard) — optional
  • 12 ounces yam noodles

Garnish
  • 4 each scallion — sliced
  • 1/4 cup cilantro — roughly chopped
  • 1/2 cup peanuts — roasted, unsalted & roughly chopped


Method:
  1. Marinate meat or crumbled tofu for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
  2. Heat a 10″ saute pan with the 2 teaspoons of oil and brown meat or tofu. Set aside.
  3. Squeeze excess water from shiitake and roughly chop. If desired, save the mushroom soaking liquid for the sauce.
  4. Heat a 12″ saute pan with 2 tablespoon of oil. Saute shiitake until lightly brown. If using, add the pickled chinese vegetable. Saute for 2-4 more minutes.
  5. To make sauce. Warm sesame oil in a 2 quart sauce pan. Add scallion and Xinjiang spice mix. Cook over medium heat for 1 minute. Add remaining sauce ingredients and bring up to a simmer. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature.
  6. Cook yam noodles. Boil 4 quarts of salted water. Add noodles and simmer for 6-8 minutes.
  7. Rinse in cold water and drain 2-3 times to remove any excess starch.
  8. Put noodles in a large mixing bowl. If you do not use right away (within 10-15 minutes – drizzle a little sesame oil on it to prevent from sticking together…and believe me – it will stick together and then some!)

    Putting together the salad.
  9. Add to the noodles in the bowl: sauteed meat or tofu, shiitake, preserved vegetable and sauce. Mix together. Season to taste.
  10. Serve in one large bowl family style or in individual bowls with the garnish of scallion, cilantro and peanuts scattered on top.