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Thai-Style Tan Tan Mian
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.
4
Servings
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.
1½ hours
Ingredients
-
1
ounce dried shiitake mushrooms (about 10 medium)
-
1 ½
cups boiling water, to soak the mushrooms
Directions
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01In 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.