Spicy Sichuan Noodles

1. Combine pork, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, wine, and pinch white pepper in small bowl. Stir well and set aside. Whisk together oyster sauce, remaining 2 tablespoons soy sauce, peanut butter, vinegar, and pinch white pepper in medium bowl. Whisk in chicken broth and set aside.
2. Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot over high heat. Meanwhile, heat 12-inch skillet over high heat, add vegetable oil and swirl to coat. Add pork and cook, breaking meat into small pieces, until well browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic, ginger, and pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add peanut butter mixture and bring to boil, whisking to combine, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer to blend flavors, stirring occasionally, about 3 minutes. Stir in sesame oil.
3. While sauce simmers, add noodles to boiling water and cook until tender. Drain noodles and divide among bowls. Ladle sauce over noodles, sprinkle with scallions and bean sprouts and ground Sichuan peppercorns, if using. Serve immediately.

If you cannot find Asian noodles, linguine may be substituted. If you are using natural peanut butter or Asian sesame paste that has a pourable rather than spreadable consistency, use only 1 cup of chicken broth. Also note that the amount of sauce will coat 1 pound of fresh noodles but only 12 ounces of dried noodles, which bulk up during boiling.

SPICY SICHUAN NOODLES WITH SHIITAKE MUSHROOMS
Soak 8 small dried shiitake mushrooms in 1 cup boiling water until softened, 15 to 20 minutes, then drain, reserving 1⁄2 cup soaking liquid. Trim and discard stems, cut mushrooms into 1⁄4-inch slices, and set aside. Substitute reserved mushroom liquid for equal amount of chicken stock and stir sliced mushrooms into sauce along with sesame oil.