Tantanmen Ramen

Instructions

1. Prepare Negi Oil: Dice green onions and mince garlic. Heat 400 milliliters of vegetable oil in a pot and add the aromatics along with star anise and a piece of cinnamon stick. Fry at medium heat until aromatics are almost burnt, then strain out the oil.
2. Make Chimajang: Grind toasted sesame seeds in a mortar and pestle. Gradually add some of the strained negi oil to the ground sesame seeds to form a watered-down tahini.
3. Prepare La You: Mix Korean chili powder with a small amount of water. Heat strained negi oil, add a few Sichuan peppercorns, and then the moistened chilies. Adjust the amount of oil and chilies as needed.
4. Cook Nikumiso: Stir-fry ground pork until fully cooked. Deglaze with sake and shoyu, then add tanmanjang and a few shakes of white pepper.
5. Prepare Bok Choy: Slice bok choy into thin strips and blanch until leaves turn dark green. Cool under running water, squeeze out excess moisture, and slice into three-inch pieces.
6. Assemble Tantanmen: To a warm bowl, add shoyutare, chimanjan sesame sauce, vinegar, la you, and chopped green onion. Add cooked noodles and 300 milliliters of heated chicken stock. Top with nikumiso, bok choy, chopped cashews, and more la you if desired.