Chinese takeout stays home - recipe

Sunset, Dec, 1994 by Linda Lau Anusasananan

Guests season their own, so I don't have to worry about fussy eaters

Asian-style noodles fit my take-it-easy entertaining strategy perfectly. Once the food is on the table, I relax. Now it's the guests' turn to work, and they treat it more like fun than a chore. From a buffet, they gather ingredients for their one-dish main course into paper cartons--the kind used by Chinese takeout restaurants. The foundation of the dish is room-temperature noodles. Guests tailor portions to taste with toppings of fresh and preserved vegetables, seasoned meat, and salty, spicy, and tart condiments. Not only does this relieve me of worrying about fussy eaters--they can pick out just what they want--but the disposable cartons and throwaway chopsticks make cleanup a cinch.

In this Chinese noodle dish from Sichuan, toppings for tender egg noodles are fried ground pork, cilantro, green onions, crisp bean sprouts, Chinese black vinegar, numbing Sichuan peppercorns, and pungent preserved vegetables.

When I change a few ingredients in this formula, I have a completely new menu. Sometimes I use rice noodles, cold cooked chicken, sliced cucumbers, and a purchased Sichuan peanut sauce or chili dressing. For a Thai option, I add hot broth, thin beef slices, chopped peanuts, and fried garlic.

Look for the paper cartons in stores that sell gift wrap or restaurant supplies, or ask at a Chinese restaurant if you can buy a dozen.

Dan Dan Noodles

3 pounds fresh or dried thin Chinese egg noodles or capellini

2 tablespoons Oriental sesame oil

1 tablespoon salad oil

3 pounds ground lean pork

1/3 cup Chinese rice wine (Shaoxing) or sake

1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper

Salt

3/4 cup chopped Chinese preserved vegetable such as Tientsin or Sichuan (optional)

Seasonings (suggestions follow)

1 1/2 cups fresh cilantro (coriander) leaves

1 1/2 cups thinly sliced green onions

1 1/2 pounds bean sprouts, rinsed and drained

In an 8- to 10-quart pan, bring about 5 quarts water to a boil over high heat. Add noodles; cook until just barely tender to bite, about 2 minutes for fresh, about 6 minutes if dried; drain water from pan. Fill pan with cold water; drain noodles, and again fill pan with cold water and add sesame oil. When noodles are cool, lift out 1 handful at a time and loosely coil into mounds on a platter or in a basket. If making ahead, cover and hold at room temperature up to 4 hours.

In a 10- to 12-inch frying pan over medium-high heat, stir salad oil and pork often until meat is crumbly and browned, 10 to 20 minutes. Drain off any fat. Add wine and pepper to meat; bring to a boil, scraping free brown bits. Add salt to taste. Pour into a bowl and serve hot or keep warm on an electric warming tray. If making ahead, cover and chill up to 1 day; reheat to serve.

To serve, arrange noodles, meat, vegetable, and seasonings on a table. Invite guests to add a coil of noodles to a carton or bowl, then top noodles to taste with preserved vegetable, meat, cilantro, green onions, bean sprouts, and seasonings. Makes 12 main-dish servings.

Per serving: 618 cal. (32 percent from fat); 36 g protein; 22 g fat (6.5 g sat.); 67 g carbo.; 95 mg sodium; 207 mg chol.

Seasonings. Present in individual containers soy sauce, Chinese black or white rice vinegar, hot chili-flavor oil, and ground Sichuan peppercorns (recipe follows) or crushed dried hot red chilies.

Ground Sichuan peppercorns. Remove any debris from 1/4 cup Sichuan peppercorns. In a 6- to 8-inch frying pan over medium-low heat, frequently shake peppercorns until they are fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Whirl in a blender until finely ground. Use, or store airtight up to 6 months. Makes 2 tablespoons.