Dan dan noodles

Preheat a wok rubbed with a little oil over high heat until it just shows wisps of smoke.

Add a couple tablespoons more oil and swirl, then add the ground pork and break it up.

Add the lightly ground Sichuan peppercorn and keep cooking, tossing and breaking up the pork, until it browns around the edges.

Add the minced garlic and ginger; when fragrant, add the preserved mustard root. Set the pork mixture aside.

Put the soy sauce, black vinegar and chili oil in the bottom of a warm serving bowl.

Cook the fresh Chinese wheat noodles in a pot of boiling water.

Ladle about three quarters of a cup of the cooking liquid into the serving bowl to dilute the sauce and help it bind to the noodles.

Drain the noodles in a fine mesh strainer and add them to the bowl, on top of the sauce.

Pour the pork mixture on top, then a shower of finely sliced scallions and more Sichuan peppercorn; toss together just before serving.

variation: top with sesame seeds, pounded peanuts, grated raw garlic or a drizzle of sesame paste such as tahini.