Sichuan sweet water noodles

Mix the salt into the flour and drizzle the water in bit by bit to a pretty dry shaggy dough.

Press all the bits together into a ball, then knead it for a couple of minutes.

Rest the dough in a bowl 15 minutes.

Knead one or two minutes, then fold the dough in half and smush it flat; repeat six or seven times in all to develop the gluten, which is easier than kneading this tougher noodle dough.

Rest 15 minutes, repeat the whole folding and pressing again, then rest a final 15 minutes.

Dust everything and roll the dough out into a long sheet about half a centimetre thick.

Cut the sheet into half centimetre wide strips against a long stick or ruler, shaking and pulling the sticks gently to loosen them.

Toss the noodles bit by bit into a pot of bubbling water and jiggle so they do not clump.

When it comes back to a boil add one cup of cool water, and once it boils again the noodles are ready.

Transfer to a big bowl, toss in a tablespoon of oil and jiggle.

For the sweet water, put the soy sauce, slab sugar, star anise, sand ginger, half cinnamon stick and the opened black cardamom in a pot.

Heat over a low flame to dissolve the sugar, then cover and simmer on the lowest flame about fifteen minutes.

It is done when the sauce forms big bubbles and reaches spoon-coating consistency; heat off, scrape the sides and transfer to a bowl.

For the garlic water, crush then pound six or seven cloves and mix with three tablespoons of cool water.

For a quick chili oil, put two tablespoons of red fragrant chili powder in a bowl.

Heat a quarter cup of oil until faint wisps of smoke form, about 190 Celsius, and pour it over the chili powder; mix well.

Mix in another quarter cup of chili crisp.

To one small snack size bowl add 100 g of the thick noodles, half a tablespoon of the sweet water soy sauce, half a tablespoon of the garlic water, two teaspoons of crushed toasted peanuts, a quarter teaspoon of toasted sesame oil, a pinch each of granulated sugar and MSG and a quarter teaspoon of Sichuan peppercorn powder, then mix well.