Spicy Dan Dan-Style Pork Noodles

Peel and grate your garlic and ginger

Slice your cucumber into discs

Slice each individual cucumber disc into matchsticks

Add the cucumber matchsticks to a small bowl with your rice vinegar and a pinch of sugar and set aside to pickle – these are your quick-pickled cucumber matchsticks

Boil a kettle

Add half the grated garlic & ginger (you'll use the rest later!) to a large heatproof bowl with your chilli flakes (can't handle the heat? Go easy!)

Heat a medium pot with 1 tbsp [1 1/2 tbsp] [2 tbsp] vegetable oil over a high heat for 1-2 min or until hot

Once hot, carefully pour the heated oil (reserve the pot!) into the bowl, give everything a good mix up and set aside for later – this is your chilli oil

Heat a large, wide-based pan (preferably non-stick) with a drizzle of vegetable oil over a high heat

Once hot, add your pork mince (remove the paper if required!) with the remaining grated garlic & ginger and five-spice mix and cook for 7-8 min or until browned and cooked through (no pink meat!), breaking it up with a wooden spoon as you go – this is your spiced pork

Add your medium egg noodles to the reserved pot and cover them with boiled water until fully submerged

Bring to the boil over a high heat and cook for 5-6 min or until cooked with a slight bite

Once done, drain and set aside, reserving 175ml [230ml] [300ml] starchy noodle water

Reboil the kettle

Wash your spinach, then add to a colander and pour boiled water all over it so that it starts to wilt

Rinse the wilted spinach under cold running water until it's cool

Once cool, squeeze as much water out of the spinach as you can

Add your tahini, soy sauce, chicken stock mix and the reserved starchy noodle water to the bowl with the chilli oil

Give everything a good mix up – this is your tahini sauce

Trim, then slice your spring onion[s]

Add the cooked noodles, spiced pork and wilted spinach to the bowl with the sauce and mix it all together – these are your spicy dan dan-style noodles