Hot Oil Peanut Noodles

Spice-infused oil (Stage 1)

• 80 ml neutral oil, sunflower, rapeseed, or grapeseed — high smoke point
• 1 star anise, whole
• 5 cm cassia cinnamon stick, one piece
• 1 tsp Sichuan peppercorns

Sauce base

• 1 tbsp Chinese sesame paste (zhimajiang), toasted Chinese variety, not tahini
• 1 tbsp crunchy peanut butter
• 1.5 tbsp light soy sauce
• 0.5 tbsp dark soy sauce
• 2 tbsp Chinkiang (Chinese black) vinegar
• 0.5 tsp sugar

Aromatics (for blooming)

• 2 tbsp garlic, finely minced
• 1 tbsp fresh ginger, finely minced
• 2 tbsp shallot, finely diced
• 2 tbsp spring onion (white part), finely sliced
• 2 tsp chili crisp, Lao Gan Ma or Sichuan-style preferred

Noodles & garnish

• 200 g wide wheat noodles, knife-cut (dao xiao mian), biang biang, or thick udon
• 1 tbsp sesame seeds, toasted
• 2 tbsp spring onion (green part), finely sliced
• 1 fresh red chili, thinly sliced(optional)
• 0.5 tsp Chinkiang vinegar, for finishing drizzle(optional)

Infuse the oil

1. 1

   Toast sesame seeds in a dry pan over medium heat until golden. Set aside to cool.

   2m
2. 2

   Combine the 80 ml neutral oil with star anise, cassia cinnamon, and Sichuan peppercorns in a small saucepan. Heat slowly over low heat to 95–105°C. Hold for 5–7 minutes — you should see tiny, lazy bubbles rising from the spices. Strain out the solids and set the infused oil aside.

   7m95–105°C / 200–220°Fsmall saucepanfine-mesh strainer

   Do not exceed 105°C during the infusion — the spices should gently bubble, not fry. This extracts warm, deep spice notes without bitterness.

   Hot Oil Blooming (油泼, Yóu Pō)

Build the sauce base

1. 3

   In a large heatproof bowl, combine the sesame paste, peanut butter, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, Chinkiang vinegar, and sugar. Stir with chopsticks until you have a loose, uniform slurry.

   2m

   Hot Fat Emulsion Sauces (Peanut & Sesame Noodle Sauces)

   Tip: The paste will resist at first — keep working it. The liquid seasonings pre-dissolve into the nut paste and create the water phase for the emulsion.

2. 4

   Arrange the minced garlic, ginger, diced shallot, sliced spring onion white, and chili crisp on top of the slurry in the bowl. Mound the garlic slightly in the centre — do not spread flat.

   1m

   Tip: Mounding the aromatics creates varying heat exposure when the oil hits, producing a range of toastedness from the edges to the centre.

Cook the noodles

1. 5

   Bring a pot of water to a rolling boil. Cook the wide noodles according to package directions (typically 3–5 minutes for fresh, 8–10 for dried). Use the minimum amount of water practical — you need the cooking water to be starchy. Reserve 120 ml of cooking water before draining.

   5m

   The reserved cooking water is structurally critical for the emulsion — it's not just for loosening. If using fresh noodles that cook in under 2 minutes, the water won't be starchy enough. In that case, dissolve ¼ tsp cornstarch in 2 tbsp water as insurance.

Bloom and assemble

1. 6

   Reheat the strained infused oil to 185–195°C — the surface should shimmer with convection currents and the very first faint wisps of smoke. Test by dropping one small piece of garlic into the oil: it should sizzle vigorously but not instantly brown.

   2m185–195°C / 365–383°F

   If the oil is smoking steadily, it's too hot — remove from heat for 20 seconds. Garlic goes from golden to burnt in under 3 seconds above 200°C.

   Hot Oil Blooming (油泼, Yóu Pō)
2. 7

   Pour the hot oil in a steady stream over the centre of the aromatics in the bowl. You should hear an immediate, aggressive sizzle. Stir within 5 seconds using chopsticks to distribute heat evenly through the aromatics and sauce base.

   1m

   Pour from about 15 cm above the bowl — not too high (splatter risk), not too timidly (you need the shock). Commit to the pour.

   Hot Oil Blooming (油泼, Yóu Pō)
3. 8

   Add the drained noodles to the bowl. Add 2–3 tbsp of the reserved starchy cooking water. Toss vigorously with chopsticks for 15–20 seconds until the sauce transforms from separated pools into a unified, glossy coating on every strand.

   1m

   Hot Fat Emulsion Sauces (Peanut & Sesame Noodle Sauces)

   Tip: If the sauce looks greasy or broken, add another tablespoon of cooking water and toss again. If too thin, toss for another 10 seconds — the heat will evaporate excess water.

4. 9

   Let the bowl rest for 60 seconds — this allows the peanut butter emulsion to stabilise and the starches to thicken slightly, resulting in better sauce cling. Give a final toss.

   1m
5. 10

   Top with toasted sesame seeds, sliced spring onion greens, fresh red chili (if using), and a finishing drizzle of raw Chinkiang vinegar (½ tsp per portion). Serve immediately.

   1m

   Tip: The finishing vinegar adds a bright, uncooked acid lift that the initial vinegar lost when the hot oil hit it.