This recipe is Kaitlin’s invention, whipped up on a rainy afternoon in Beijing from a few ingredients that we had on hand. Made with lo mein noodles, these special noodles are spicy and incredibly flavorful, and we all bowed down to her greatness after we finished every bit of what was on the plate.
Kaitlin’s Special Noodles feature our favorite Chinese hot sauce, a mixture of chili peppers and Chinese fermented black beans that we featured in our very first noodle recipe. It’s called “Lao Gan Ma Black Bean Chili Sauce,” and can be found in any Chinese grocery store for just a couple bucks. It can also be found on Amazon, of all places, though it’s a LOT cheaper at your local Chinese grocery store. Whatever your source, you have to try it. There are a couple different sauces made under this brand, so make sure you find the black bean and chili one specifically.
Th special noodles recipe also calls for Sichuan (Szechuan) peppercorns, which creates a spicy flavor that sort of numbs your tongue a little. It sounds a little weird, but Sichuan cuisine characterized by this ingredient has become wildly popular across China. At first, it’s sort of strange when you realize that your tongue is tingling. But then it becomes this seriously addictive thing, and you can’t stop eating. It’s an optional ingredient, but definitely recommended if you want to lend the dish a bit of Sichuan flare.
We were pretty detailed with the photos for this one, so here’s the step-by-step. You can also scroll down for this unique lo mein recipe in full.
First, you’re going to want to slice, chop, and mince up all your ingredients, because the dish moves really quickly once you’ve started. With any Chinese dish, it’s good to be prepared before you start!
If you’re shy about too much spice, check out Honey Hoisin Pan Fried Noodles and Soy Scallion Noodles.
Recipe Instructions
So gather it all up.
When you’re ready to cook, heat oil in your wok over medium-low heat and infuse it with the flavor of your dried red chilis (or fresh), Sichuan peppercorns, and ginger.
Raise the heat to medium-high and add the pork. Continue frying until the pork is cooked through.
Add the minced garlic, a couple splashes of Shaoxing wine, and the ½ teaspoon of sugar. Stir and cook for another minute.
Then add 2-3 heaping tablespoons of the Lao Gan Ma Black Bean Chili Sauce.
Stir and cook for a couple minutes to let the flavors meld together.
Then add your sesame oil, white pepper, and soy sauce…
Stir in the peanuts…
And the scallions.
Cook for another minute to get those scallions nice and sweet.
And it’s time to add the cooked lo mein noodles!
Once you’ve stirred those lo mein noodles around and heated them through, which should take a few minutes, you can add your leafy green vegetables and wilt them down.
We used a kind of bok choy here. Taste it. If it needs a bit more salt, you can add a few dashes of soy sauce (careful not to add too much!).
Plate up these spiced up lo mein special noodles, and prepare for greatness.
Here’s the full recipe for Kaitlin’s special noodles:
KAITLIN’S SPECIAL NOODLES
Ingredients
- 1-3 fresh or dried red chilis (sliced thinly, depending on your desired spiciness level)
- ½ teaspoon Sichuan peppercorns (optional)
- 2 tablespoons ginger (finely minced)
- 6 oz. ground pork (170g)
- 5 cloves garlic (finely minced)
- 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- 2-3 tablespoons Lao Gan Ma Black Bean Chili Sauce
- ½ teaspoon white pepper
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce (plus more, to taste)
- ½ teaspoon sesame oil
- 1/3 cup peanuts (chopped, optional)
- 1 scallion (chopped)
- 1 package cooked yellow lo mein noodles
- A few big handfuls of any leafy green vegetable (anything that wilts quickly and has a mild flavor will do. Bok choy, choy sum, spinach, napa cabbage, etc., washed)
- Oil
Instructions
- Pour 1/3 cup oil into the wok over medium-low heat and add the chilis. Let the peppers infuse the oil while you prepare the other ingredients. If using, crush the Sichuan peppercorns and add them to the oil as well, keeping the heat low enough so that nothing burns.
- After a few minutes, add the minced ginger, turning up the heat very slightly in order to lightly fry the ginger.
- Add the pork and stir until just cooked through, breaking up big chunks. The heat should be medium to medium-high right about now. Add the minced garlic, a couple splashes of cooking wine, and the ½ teaspoon of sugar. Stir and cook for another minute.
- Then add 2-3 heaping tablespoons of the black bean hot sauce. Stir and cook for a couple minutes to let the flavors meld together.
- Add ½ teaspoon white pepper, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, and ½ teaspoon sesame oil. Stir in the peanuts and the scallions. Stir until the scallions have cooked through.
- Turn the heat up to high and add the noodles. Quickly stir fry the noodles for a few minutes to heat them through. When they’re heated and well-coated with the sauce, add the leafy veggies and stir some more. If the noodles start sticking to the wok, stir faster and lower the heat slightly.
- Taste for salt and add additional soy sauce in small increments to taste. Continue stirring until everything is combined and happy. Serve!
It tasted really good and will make again—will SERIOUSLY reduce the Spicy Black Bean Sauce and use plain Black Bean Sauce in it’s place next time.
Thanks, Rebecca! Hope you perfect it to your tastes :)
Hi Kaitlin!
This is a very tasty dish. I was afraid it was going to be too spicy so I only used 1 dried chili. I was nervous about the sichuan peppers but I ended up loving the effect so I was happy I did not leave them out. I smashed them in my mortal and pestle a little bit and added them in. The noodles I had were refrigerated Yaki-Soba so they were a little thin, but it worked. I only had dry roasted peanuts, but they worked too! I didn’t bother with chopping them up. The only leafy green I had was regular basil, so I tossed it in. I didn’t have the LoGanMa black bean sauce, I only had the chili crisp so that is what I used. This was fast and easy to toss together and it turned out so pretty, as well as delicious. It had a little heat but it was a medium sweat and not too spicy at all. I ended up adding another spoonful of chili crisp on top as it seemed a bit dry once I plated it up. I really loved the sichuan pepper numbing effect and it’s quite addictive. This was just the right amount of heat. Thanks!
Hi Cindi, hope you can try it with the lomein noodles next time :) Glad you enjoyed it all the same.
This Is DELICIOUS !!!!!! Together my husband & I ate 3.5 servings !! Just the two of us !! Definitely 5 stars plus !
Glad you loved it Kim! Sorry we missed your comment back in the summer!
EXCELLENT. I was actually nervous with this recipe as it’s as this is so different from other noodle dishes I’ve tried where you typically make a chicken stock-based sauce but WOW. Not a bite left. Subs I had to make due to lock-down: No bok choy or fresh greens so I threw in some bean sprouts and mushrooms. Also — subbed spaghetti since authentic noodles are hard to come by right now. Paired this with a cucumber salad with rice wine vinegar, a little soy and sesame oil. This is now my go to noodle recipe.
Hi Barbara, sorry we missed your comment! Thank you so much! Like your lockdown subs too!
I’ve cooked this many times for different guests – love love love it!
Because I make it so often, for variety, sometimes I’ll substitute the pork for tofu or bok choy and noodles for lettuce wraps. Thanks Judy and Kaitlin!
Thank you, Brad! :) Love the variations too!
I just finished a bowl of this and had to let you guys know how great it was despite having to substitute a few items. I used around 10oz of linguini (dry weight) since I didn’t have any cooked noodles on hand, and no Black Bean Chili Sauce either so I subbed with 2 Tablespoons fermented black beans and 1 Tablespoon chiu chow chili oil. It might have changed the flavour profile slightly but not too much I think. My noodles were not wet like your photos, which is how I prefer my noodles to be, but it was still delicious. I look forward to making this dish again the way the recipe was written once I have a chance to stop by Chinatown.
Awesome! Thank you so much for your lovely comment, Arianna.
I made this, but made it a soup. I also added some spicy chili crisp to kick it up a bit, and topped with a drizzle of Sichuan peppercorn oil.
This was SO GOOD!
I’ll be adding this into my rotation.
Thank you for sharing!
You are so welcome, Tawnie. Happy wokking.
I love this! My whole family loved it even my 3 and 6 year old.
I was afraid of the chili oil with black beans but ordered it anyway because I trust you guys. IT IS SO GOOD and not at all as I imagined. Keep these recipes coming.
It’s always a good sign when the little ones love a dish. Thank you for your comment.
This is a seriously good recipe. I made it tonight for my wife and I and it was better than anything we have had before from a Chinese restaurant. Kudos to Kaitlin. Suggest more veggies maybe but its great just as is. We used bok choy. We cook Chinese although we are still learning flavours. Liked the mild heat, used three tbs of that amazing grandma sauce.
Yearhhh…so glad you and your wife enjoy this dish!
The most amazing recipe! I make this all the time and now my mum does too. So delicious!
:D thank you, Natalie!