Flavor-Packed Chinese Cabbage Chow Fun Noodles

INGREDIENTS

• 280 grams (10 oz) of cabbage, julienned
• 200 grams (7 oz) of vermicelli noodles, soak in hot water for 15 minutes
• 2 tbsp of dark soy sauce
• 1/2 tbsp of oil to coat the noodles
• 170 grams (6 oz) of skinless pork belly, cut into strips
• 1-2 tbsp of oil to stir fry
• 4 cloves of garlic, sliced thinly
• 1/2 inch of ginger, sliced thinly
• 2 scallions, dice the white part and cut the green part into 1 inch long stalks
• 2 tbsp of red dried chilies, cut into short pieces, optional
• 4-5 pieces of Thai bird eye chilies, roughly diced, optional
• 2 tbsp of Sichuan Dou Ban Jiang, if you don't eat spicy food, use soybean paste
• 1.5 tbsp of soy sauce

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Soak the vermicelli noodles in 2 liters of hot water for 15 minutes.
2. While waiting, julienne the cabbage; slice the garlic and ginger thinly; separate the white and green parts of the scallions; dice the white part of and cut the green part into 1-inch-long stalks; Julienne the pork belly into strips. You can use thick cuts of bacon for more flavors or skip the meat if you are vegan.
3. Optionally, cut the red dried chilies into short pieces and dice the Thai bird eye chilies.
4. Drain the noodles thoroughly and season them with dark soy sauce to get the desired brown color. Coat the noodles with vegetable oil to prevent sticking.
5. Turn the heat to high and heat the wok until smoking hot. Add oil and switch the heat to low. Saute the pork belly until golden brown, and a few tbsp of pork fat is rendered.
6. Add garlic, ginger, the white part of the scallions, red dried chilies, Thai bird eye chilies, and 2 tbsp of Dou Ban Jiang, and stir over low heat until the oil turns red. If you don't eat spicy food, replace the dou ban jiang with soybean paste.
7. Add the cabbage and stir over medium heat until the cabbage is welted.
8. Add the noodles along with 1.5 tbsp of soy sauce. Keep mixing over high heat for a few more minutes.
9. Before serving, toss in the green parts of the scallion and mix well.