SHOPPING LIST: Cooking Skills: Noodles 2, Chapter 5 (Chinese Regional Noodles)

Thin, wide and egg wheat noodles, pork mince, lamb leg or shoulder, eggs with the British Lion mark, tomatoes, garlic, ginger, spring onions, pak choi or spinach, cucumber, carrot, onion, a green pepper, coriander, vegetable oil, soy sauce, Chinese black vinegar (or balsamic), sesame paste or peanut butter, chilli oil, doubanjiang, sweet bean sauce or hoisin sauce, Sichuan pepper, cumin seeds, chilli flakes, sugar, tomato ketchup or puree. Check labels for soy, wheat, sesame and peanuts.

Dan dan noodles (2 portions)
[ ] 200 g thin wheat noodles
[ ] 150 g pork mince
[ ] 1 tbsp vegetable oil
[ ] 1 tbsp doubanjiang (chilli bean paste; optional, for extra depth)
[ ] 2 garlic cloves, crushed
[ ] 2 tbsp soy sauce
[ ] 1 tbsp Chinese black vinegar (or balsamic vinegar as a labelled substitute)
[ ] 1 tbsp sesame paste or smooth peanut butter
[ ] 2 tbsp chilli oil, with its sediment
[ ] ½ tsp Sichuan pepper, toasted and ground
[ ] 1 tsp sugar
[ ] 100 g greens (pak choi or spinach)
[ ] 2 spring onions, sliced

Zhajiangmian (3 portions)
[ ] 300 g wheat noodles
[ ] 200 g pork mince
[ ] 3 tbsp sweet bean sauce or hoisin sauce (a labelled substitute: hoisin with 1 tsp miso)
[ ] 1 tbsp doubanjiang (optional)
[ ] 2 tbsp vegetable oil
[ ] 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
[ ] 1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
[ ] 1 tbsp soy sauce
[ ] 1 tsp sugar
[ ] 120 ml water
[ ] ½ cucumber, in matchsticks
[ ] 1 carrot, in matchsticks
[ ] 2 spring onions, sliced

Tomato and egg noodles (3 portions)
[ ] 250 g wheat or egg noodles
[ ] 4 Lion-marked eggs, beaten with a pinch of salt
[ ] 4 ripe tomatoes, cut in wedges (or 400 g tin of tomatoes)
[ ] 2 tbsp vegetable oil, divided
[ ] 2 garlic cloves, sliced
[ ] 1 tbsp tomato ketchup or tomato puree
[ ] 2 tsp sugar
[ ] 1 tbsp soy sauce
[ ] 150 ml water
[ ] 2 spring onions, sliced

Cumin lamb noodles (3 portions)
[ ] 300 g wide wheat noodles
[ ] 250 g lamb leg or shoulder, thinly sliced
[ ] 1 tbsp cumin seeds, toasted and ground
[ ] 1 tsp chilli flakes
[ ] ½ tsp Sichuan pepper, toasted and ground
[ ] 2 tbsp vegetable oil
[ ] 1 onion, sliced
[ ] 3 garlic cloves, sliced
[ ] 1 green pepper, sliced
[ ] 2 tbsp soy sauce
[ ] 1 tbsp Chinese black vinegar (or balsamic as a labelled substitute)
[ ] 1 tsp sugar
[ ] 1 handful coriander

For the experiments
[ ] Extra Sichuan pepper and chilli oil
[ ] Extra wide and thin noodles