Hand-Pulled Noodles with Spicy & Sour Mussel Xo Sauce

Recipes, food styling & photography Jane Lyons & Will Bowman

	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

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.

Jane Lyons & Will Bowman / The Next Meal

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