Chinese Suan La Fen Sweet Potato Noodles

Ingredients

• 8 oz sweet potato glass noodles
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 3 tbsp Chinese black vinegar
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp chili oil
• 1/3 cup roasted peanuts
• 1/3 cup pickled mustard greens or preserved vegetable, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
• 1/2 tsp ground white pepper
• 3 scallions, sliced
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
• Salt

Steps

1. Soak the sweet potato noodles in hot water for 20 to 30 minutes, until pliable and translucent at the edges but still firm in the middle.
2. These noodles need far longer soaking than wheat or rice noodles. Rushed, they stay chalky at the core no matter how long you boil them.
3. Build the dressing directly in each serving bowl: divide the black vinegar, soy sauce, chili oil, garlic, sesame oil, and white pepper between two bowls.
4. Assembling in the bowl rather than in a pot is how suan la fen is made, and it keeps the vinegar and chili oil sharp instead of cooked flat.
5. Bring the broth to a boil and taste it for salt; it should be well seasoned, since it dilutes the dressing.
6. Boil the soaked noodles for 3 to 5 minutes, until completely soft and slippery with no chalky centre, then drain and divide between the bowls.
7. Pour the boiling broth over so the dressing dissolves and the noodles are just covered.
8. Top with the pickled greens, peanuts, scallions, and cilantro, and stir well before eating.

Allergen note: Contains gluten, peanuts, sesame, soy and mustard.

Use the listed quantities as a guide, adjust seasoning to taste, and cook proteins to a safe internal temperature.