Thai-Style Tan Tan Mian
- Makes4 servings
- Cook Time1½ hours
- 6
At Bā Hào, a bar in Bangkok’s Chinatown, we were smitten with the tan tan mian, a soup that featured chewy wheat noodles in a rich, spicy-sweet peanutty broth, finished with bits of ground pork, shiitake mushrooms and sesame seeds. Sichuan pepper add tongue-tingling flavor, while bok choy supplies color and crispness. It’s a muddle of a dish—a Thai riff on a Japanese dish that actually originated in China. We like the nubbiness of chunky peanut butter in the broth, but smooth is fine, too, if that’s what’s in the pantry. And any type of peanut butter—regular (such as Skippy or Jif) or natural (no added sweeteners or oil)—will work. For convenience, the soup can be made ahead and refrigerated in an airtight container for a few days. When ready to serve, reheat the soup while you cook the bok choy and noodles, portion and serve.
Don’t trim off too much from the base from each head of baby bok choy. Cut away just enough to remove the dry ends, but not so much that the leaves separate. This way, the layers will hold together when the bok choy is quartered lengthwise.
Step 1
In a medium bowl, combine the shiitake mushrooms and enough boiling water to cover. Place a plate on top to submerge the mushrooms; let soak until softened, 20 to 30 minutes. Meanwhile, in a 4-quart or larger saucepan over medium, toast the Sichuan peppercorns, stirring, until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl to cool. In the same pan over medium, toast the sesame seeds until lightly browned and fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes; transfer to another small bowl and set aside. Reserve the saucepan. Using a spice grinder or mortar with a pestle, finely grind the Sichuan peppercorns; set aside.
Step 2
Lift the softened mushrooms from the soaking water. Pour the soaking water through a fine-mesh strainer set over a 2-cup liquid measuring cup or small bowl. Rinse the bowl used to soak the mushrooms, then in it, whisk together the peanut butter, soy sauce, sugar, ½ teaspoon black pepper and 1 cup strained mushroom liquid. Trim off and discard the stems from the mushrooms, then cut the caps into ¼- to ½-inch cubes; set aside.
Step 3
In the reserved saucepan over medium-high, heat the oil until barely smoking. Add the pork and ¼ teaspoon each salt and black pepper; cook, stirring and breaking the pork into small bits, until either the meat is browned and crisped or browned bits have formed on the pan, about 9 minutes.
Step 4
Add the garlic, pepper flakes and 1 to 1½ teaspoons ground Sichuan pepper; cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in the broth, peanut butter mixture, mushrooms, ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon black pepper. Bring to a boil, scraping up any browned bits, then reduce to medium-low and simmer, uncovered and stirring, until slightly thickened, about 20 minutes.
Step 5
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the bok choy and cook until bright green and tender-crisp, 1 to 2 minutes. Using tongs, transfer to a plate, allowing excess water to drain back into the pot. To the boiling water, add the noodles and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender. Drain in a colander, shaking to remove as much water as possible. Divide the noodles among 4 serving bowls.
Step 6
When the soup is done, taste and season with soy sauce and/or salt; it should be assertively salty to compensate for the mildness of the noodles. Ladle it into the bowls. Divide the bok choy among the bowls, then garnish with the toasted sesame seeds and additional ground Sichuan pepper, if desired. Serve with chili oil or chili crisp for drizzling.
