Aubergine & sesame dan-dan-style noodles

Dinner with 13 ingredients.

Servings: 1

Total time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon tahini or Chinese sesame paste
• 2 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
• 2 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds (we used a mixture of black and white)
• 2 spring onions thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
• 1 small garlic clove crushed
• 1 small aubergine cut into 1cm cubes
• 2 teaspoon black rice vinegar
• 80 gram (1 nest) dried wheat noodles
• 1-2 tsp crispy chilli oil to taste
• 0.5 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder
• pinch of ground Sichuan peppercorns

Method

1. Heat the sesame oil in a wok over a high heat and fry the aubergine for 5 mins until softened and starting to brown in places. Meanwhile, put the kettle on to boil. Cook the noodles in a pan of boiling water for a minute less than the pack instructions, then drain and rinse under cold running water to stop the cooking process.
2. Add the five-spice powder, garlic and Sichuan pepper to the pan with the aubergine and stir-fry for 1 min.
3. Mix the tahini, hoisin, soy, vinegar and chilli oil together in a bowl. Stir in 50ml hot water from the kettle, then pour the mixture over the aubergine and cook for another 1-2 mins until coated in the glossy sauce. Add the noodles and toss to coat, adding a splash more hot water if the sauce is too thick. Sprinkle with the spring onions and sesame seeds just before serving.