Pippa says: “If you know me, you know that Dan Dan Mian is one of my all-time favourites. You can find many versions and styles of this dish at different restaurants, and there are just as many recipes. There are several different iterations I will use myself at home – from preparing the noodles, stock and chilli oil by hand, to a 20-minute version using store-bought stock and non-traditional ingredients, such as pickles and peanut butter.

“This quick-sharp Dan Dan Mian is my bare-bones version, without any frills or additional extras. If you have some ya cai (Sichuan pickled mustard greens) in your cupboards, I would always add some to this dish, just at the end.”

Serves 2

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp Chinese sesame paste or tahini
• 1 tbsp peanut butter
• 2 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tbsp Chinkiang black rice vinegar
• 2 tsp light (soft) brown sugar
• 2 tbsp Sichuan chilli oil or Lao Gan Ma Crispy Chilli Oil
• 1 tbsp neutral oil
• 200g (7oz) fatty beef mince (ground beef)
• 1 tsp Chinese five spice
• 3 tbsp hoisin sauce
• 1 tsp dark soy sauce
• 2 nests thin wheat noodles
• 100ml (3½oz) hot chicken stock
• 1 spring onion (scallion), diced

Method

Combine the sesame paste, peanut butter, light soy sauce, rice vinegar, sugar and chilli oil in a high-speed blender, or in a jug (pitcher) using a stick blender, to make the sauce. Set aside.

Heat the neutral oil in a non-stick, heavy-based frying pan (skillet) and add the beef mince. Let this sit for 2–3 minutes in the hot pan, without stirring, to allow it to brown. Add the Chinese five spice and stir fry for another 2–3 minutes until the beef is browned all over. Add the hoisin sauce and dark soy, and mix well until the mince is coated and glossy.

Meanwhile, cook the noodles according to the packet instructions.

Divide the sauce between two bowls, top up with the hot stock and combine well. Add the noodles and top with the beef and diced spring onion (scallion).

Pippa says: “While investing your time in a 3-hour broth is almost always certainly worth it, when I’m time poor, my need for a steaming bowl of ramen doesn’t dissipate. As with all bowls of broth, a bowl of ramen is only as good as the base stock it’s made with. Most supermarkets have great ones and I find that the broths that come in bags, in the fridge section, will have more body and substance than stock cubes. If you can find bone broth, even better, as this will be packed with the collagen and fats that we need to make a good bowl of ramen in limited time. You can also order decent bone broths online.”

Serves 2

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp neutral oil
• 2 garlic cloves, grated or crushed
• 2.5cm (1in) ginger, peeled and grated
• 600ml (21fl oz) chicken bone broth
• 3 tbsp white miso
• 4 tbsp oat milk
• 2 tbsp light soy sauce
• 2 tbsp mirin
• ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 200g (7oz) fatty pork mince (ground pork)
• 2 tbsp soy bean sauce
• 1 tsp dark soy sauce
• 1 egg
• 2 nests fresh or dried ramen noodles
• 1 handful of bean sprouts
• 1 small leek, finely shredded
• ½ toasted nori sheet, cut into 4
• 1 tbsp furikake

Method

Heat 1 tbsp of the neutral oil in a pan over a medium-high heat. Add the garlic and ginger and stir fry for 30 seconds, until fragrant. Add the chicken bone broth and stir to combine. Bring the stock to a gentle simmer and add the miso paste, oat milk, light soy sauce, mirin and pepper. Stir with a whisk or fork until the miso paste dissolves (you can use a stick blender to speed up the process – just be careful of hot stock splattering). Leave to gently simmer over a low heat.

Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil, ready to cook the noodles.

Meanwhile, heat the remaining 1 tbsp neutral oil in a non-stick, heavy-based frying pan (skillet) over a high heat. Add the pork mince and fry for 3–4 minutes until browned and crispy on all sides. Add the soy bean sauce and dark soy sauce, with a splash of noodle cooking water. Mix well with the pork and leave over a low heat.

Drop the egg into the boiling water. Set a timer for 6 minutes 45 seconds. After 2 minutes or so, add the ramen noodles and cook for the time stated on the packet. With 1 minute remaining on the clock, add the bean sprouts.

Strain and divide the noodles and bean sprouts between two bowls. Pluck out the egg and allow to cool slightly before peeling and halving.

Pour the hot broth over the noodles in each bowl and top with the pork mixture, half an egg, the leek, nori and furikake.

Pippa says: “Sesame noodles are one of those dishes that appear super-simple but take precise tweaking, practice and experience to get exactly right. The quality of the Chinese sesame paste makes a big difference. The best I have ever tried was in a restaurant called Ji Gai He on Ji’an Lu in Shanghai – my friend and former food critic Betty Richardson (@bettyshanghai, on Instagram) took me there and I have longed for them ever since. The noodles were super long and perfectly al dente, the sauce was silky smooth, the flavour was nutty and moreish with a little fresh hit of spring onion (scallion). It was perfection.

“Peanut butter wouldn’t typically be added to this sauce, but I like the extra nutty hit it gives – leave it out if you prefer. It can be served hot or cold.”

Serves 2 

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp Chinese sesame paste
• 1 tsp peanut butter
• 2 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tbsp Sichuan chilli oil or Lao Gan Ma Crispy Chilli Oil
• 1 tbsp Chinkiang black rice vinegar
• 1 tsp golden caster (superfine) sugar
• 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
• ½ tsp mushroom bouillon powder
• 2 nests fresh wheat noodles
• 1 spring onion (scallion), finely diced
• ¼ cucumber, finely shredded

Combine the sesame paste, peanut butter, light soy sauce, chilli oil, vinegar, sugar, sesame oil, bouillon powder and 4 tbsp boiling water in a large mixing bowl and carefully stir until everything is dissolved.

Chinese sesame paste is quite thick and firm, so it can take a while to dissolve until smooth. To help the process along, you can use a blender to make a smooth sauce, just be careful with hot liquids.

Cook the noodles according to the packet instructions or until al dente. Strain and rinse under cool water, separating the noodles with your fingers, to prevent them from sticking. If serving cold, rinse under cold water for 3–4 minutes. Add the noodles straight into the mixing bowl containing the sauce and toss to coat. Divide the noodles immediately between bowls and top with any remaining sauce, spring onion (scallion) and cucumber. Add extra chilli oil if desired.

Simple Noodles by Pippa Middlehurst (£20, Quadrille) is out now