Ingredients
| FOR THE XO SAUCE | |
| 15-20 mussels | |
| 3⁄4 cup canola or other neutral cooking oil | |
| 2 cups shiitake, chopped | |
| 5 shallots, chopped | |
| 4 tablespoons Korean chilli flakes | |
| 3 tablespoons fish sauce | |
| 5 tablespoons rice wine vinegar | |
| FOR THE NOODLES | |
| 400g all-purpose flour plus extra for dusting surfaces | |
| 3g salt | |
| 285ml water | |
| sesame oil, to serve | |
| spring onion and coriander stalks, finely chopped, to serve |
Instructions
| 1. | FOR THE XO SAUCE |
| 2. | Clean and debeard the mussels before steaming or smoking them until open. |
| 3. | Once cool, remove from the shells and chop coarsely. |
| 4. | If you can, chop the mussels, shiitake and the shallots into roughly the same size. |
| 5. | Heat the oil in a deep saucepan or pot on a medium-high heat. |
| 6. | Add the mussels and cook until just brown then remove with a slotted spoon. |
| 7. | Repeat separately for the shiitake and shallots. |
| 8. | Add the mussels, shiitake and shallots back to the oil, along with the chilli flakes. |
| 9. | The mixture should seem much less oily now and begin to look more like a chunky sauce. |
| 10. | Turn the heat to low and add the fish sauce and rice wine vinegar. |
| 11. | Remove from heat and set aside to cool until ready to serve. |
| 12. | FOR THE NOODLES |
| 13. | Sift the flour and salt into a large bowl. |
| 14. | Make a well in the centre and gradually add the water, stirring with a fork as you go, until a soft, sticky dough is formed (15 minutes approx) and no dry flour remains in the bowl. |
| 15. | Tip the dough onto a floured surface and knead, using floured hands, into a smooth ball. |
| 16. | Don’t be afraid to re-apply flour to the bench or your hands whenever the dough gets too sticky. |
| 17. | Transfer the dough to a floured bowl, cover with a damp tea towel and a pot lid or large plate. |
| 18. | Leave to rest for 21⁄2 hours or overnight in the fridge if that’s more convenient. |
| 19. | Once rested, remove the dough from the bowl and knead a few times on a floured surface. |
| 20. | Divide the dough into four equal balls and roll each ball flat to a thickness of approx 1⁄2cm. |
| 21. | Cover with a damp tea towel for 45 minutes – this rest is important so fight off any temptation to skip it. |
| 22. | Bring a large pot of water to the boil. |
| 23. | Use a sharp knife to cut the rolled dough into 2cm strips. |
| 24. | Pull the strips in one motion until they become long and thin then add to boiling water and cook for 60-90 seconds. |
| 25. | Drain and immediately top with XO sauce. |
| 26. | Serve with a drizzle of sesame oil and chopped spring onion and coriander. |
Recipes, food styling & photography Jane Lyons & Will Bowman
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