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I TAKE MY CRACK, VERY… VERY, SERIOUSLY
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I AM not, by even the most flexible standard, what you would call a person of a particular faith… I have no investments in god/gods, demon, Buddha, ghost, after-life, next-life, karma, heaven or hell… or paying somebody to tell me that I shouldn’t be moving my furnitures next week. I would almost say that I’m an atheist if I wasn’t in fact, slightly uncomfortable with the absoluteness of such term. When it comes to this stuff, I’m pretty sure the truth is… Nobody knows.
Look, I know there’s an unspoken rule for smart-asses to comment on anything, anything… as long as they don’t touch the subject of religion. So why am I babbling all this and making Jason very nervous? I guess I’m not smart, nor an ass, and also because I don’t want to sound the least bit superstitious when I say that my personality – the genetically coded behaviour – has largely dictated the scripts of how my life is played out. Or as some like to call it, “destiny”. A word I don’t use but I think that my previous 34 years of walking this earth up till now – including this blog, this post, everything leading up this moment – is predetermined by my hard-wired, inexhaustible desire to…
NOT leave my apartment. For as looong as I can.
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Seriously, I cannot understate my jedi-like ability in talking myself out of leaving my home. Weather’s bad. Weather looks bad. Weather could potentially look bad. Going out means spending the money I have, or not having any money to spend on going out. It’s just a neverending cycle when it comes to money; I either have it or I don’t. Don’t get me wrong, I do have money and I have enough to get by, but sometimes I just wish I had slightly more saved away. My friend was like that too. She had money, but not as much as she would like to fund her spending habits, and it was only when she considered the idea of looking at these libertex kosten (libertex charges) to see how she could start trading Forex, as well as stocks and commodities, that she thought that she could change her situation around for the better. And guess what? It worked! She now has enough money to spend on whatever she likes, without having the worry of it running out. Maybe I need to do the same because I hate having to worry about my financial situation. Hey, my thumb is sore. Anything, perceivable by excuses, can make sleeping-in and laying low inside my comfortable bunker feel like a much better idea.
Adding more fuel to this strong desire for staying within the confines of my home, are the various arrangements I have made. I’m well stocked up on essentials (pantry, comics, toilet paper … you name it). In many ways, my room resembles a glasshouse (rather a DIY glasshouse), in terms of both form and function. It has been meticulously designed and maintained using re-purposed furniture. You would find tiny hanging garment racks, couches repurposed from scooter tires, and bookshelves; all of which I have built entirely by myself, using DIY tools and equipment purchased online from websites like TradeFix Direct. Probably, by now you might have understood why I have an undying urge to stay indoors!
It’s in my DNA, or “soul” as they call it. But there really is no romantic mystery to why I am now, after years of attempts for the opposite but still end up sitting here, “destined” to tell you about this particular subject.
No, not about religion. About cracks.
Obviously being a bunker-dweller, or living with one, it means we have to frequently deal with the scarcity of food courses. I know it may not look that way, but the diversity of our diet is actually… oftentimes limited. Aside from a couple of “new and exciting” experiments I churn out, gladly, for the sake of blogging, for the rest of the time, very possibly, we’re actually eating this. This as I call it, the crack-slurp.
Why because if we were gonna eat the same thing up to three times a week I daresay, it better freaking tastes like crack. Slurpable crack, and it’s as much about tastiness as making wonders out of practically nothing. Over the years, it has evolved into any Asian-style, non-soup noodles that are mixed in an intensely flavoured “sauce”, based on of course homemade….
The crack: The foundation… the mother-earth. I call it “crack” not only because it consists of fat-cracklings and crispy aromatics of some sort, but also because it will pretty much make anything it’s scattered on, taste goood. There’s a couple variations but most of the times, chicken skin-cracklings and crispy shallots fried in the same fat rendered from the cracklings. Sometimes crispy garlic or ginger is added to the equation. Solid crack + liquid crack. You know you’re set up to succeed.
But as we all know, one cannot sustain life purely based on crack. Other substances are needed, and for something that we consume in such high frequency, believe me when I say that I take my crack-slurp, very… very, seriously. Aside from the original that we’ve been “addicted to” for more than a decade, an sichuan-style “dry noodle” which is what we’re focusing on today, I have also discovered a few other exciting variations for diversity-sake. And they will be posted in the following month. But first, it’s helpful to get familiar with the crack-slurp principles… the breakdown of my equation for Asian saucy noodles, if you will. Aside from the crack, you’ll also need:
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The carb: Asians love their noodles, no doubt. And as a result, there is gazillion different types of noodle to select from. As a rule of thumb, I like to go with fresh noodles made with wheat flour, or rice (a more common option in Southern China or Southeast Asia) which I store frozen in individual portions. But if in absolute isolation from any of this, dried noodles can be good substitutes.
The paste: There is always, always, some kind of “paste” that is unique to a regional cuisine in Asia. Always. They keep forever in the fridge, figuratively speaking, a “Godsent” bunker foods. From the more well-known miso from Japan, gochujang from Korea, to douban-jiang (broad bean chili paste) from sichuan, tianmian-jiang from northern China, and different assortment of curry paste from Southeast Asia. All widely available online these days and more will be featured in the following posts, but today, we’re talking douban, and this is the exact brand that I use.
The Seasoning: This part doesn’t stray too far from the usual suspects – soy sauce, fish sauce, vinegar, sugar and whatnots. What’s important is the ratio between each that builds a well-balanced flavour.
The spices: Goes from simple ground black/white pepper to sichuan peppercorns, chili flake or ground corianders and whatnots. Just a little magic dust to pump things up.
The aromatics/herbs: Diced scallion, garlic and sometimes ginger is my go-to, but the party gets more crowded as we move down to Southeast Asia.
Once you have overcome the phobia – if any – of rendering oil out of skins and fat (hey, exactly like cooking bacons…), and witness the complete transformation of shallots after a (figurative) baptize in the same oil until caramelized and crispy, and you mix all of the above good-things together, you will never see “weeknight meal” with the same light again. Enlightened… Found…
And as far as I go, this is as religious as it gets.
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Servings: 2 people
Based on what’s most available, you can choose different fat to render the cracklings. Chicken skins (what’s used here) will give you chicken skin cracklings + chicken fat/schmaltz. Pork fat (what’s generally used in Asia for this purpose) will give you pork cracklings + pork fat/lard. And of course if you happen to have access to duck skins… oh lucky you. The recipe is what you need for exactly 2 servings, but of course, it will make total sense to double or even triple the crack-portion and store it in the fridge for future use (instructions follows).
I used the method of stacking, rolling, then freezing the chicken skins to get an even, unified thin slices. Of course if you want to just throw them in a bag and freeze, then cut into very small pieces, it’s not gonna ruin the dish. Whatever you do, flash-freeze the skin until hardens will make things a lot easier.
The recipe has MSG. Every single bowl of noodles you get from either restaurants or street-vendors in Asia, has MSG. But if you’re not gonna use it, the dish will taste great anyways. Just not as great.
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The crack (makes for 2 servings):
- 6.2 oz (175 grams/approx from 2 large whole legs) of chicken skins, rinsed clean and dab dry
- 5 small or 4 medium Asian shallots, thinly sliced
- 1/2 tsp of fine sea salt
- 1/2 tsp of ground white peper
To make the crack: Stack the chicken skins on top of each other over a large plastic-wrap. Roll the chicken skins into a thick log as tightly as you can, then twist the two ends of the plastic-wrap together to secure. Apply another layer of plastic-wrap if need to. Freeze for at least 2 hours until harden. Then remove from the plastic-wrap and cut into thin slices, which will give you even strips of chicken skins. Add the skins to a non-stick pot/non-stick deep skillet (just trust me on this…) over medium heat. Let the skins render out its own fat, and stir occasionally as they slowly dehydrate and crisp up as they fries (they will get sticky mid-way through frying, then not-sticky again when they’re done), until they are golden-brown and crispy, approx 8~9 min. Drain through a fine sieve. Then season it immediately with 1/4 tsp of fine sea salt and 1/4 tsp of ground white paper. Set aside.
You should have approx 1/4 ~ 1/3 cup of chicken fat. Add however much vegetable oil you need to make it a heaping 1/2 cup, and return it to the same pot/skillet. Add the thinly sliced shallots and cook over medium-low heat. Stir constantly until the shallots dehydrates and turn lightly golden-browned, approx 10 min (they will continue to darken a bit, and will crisp up after removed from the oil). Drain through a fine sieve, then immediately season with 1/4 tsp of fine sea salt and 1/4 tsp of ground white pepper. Mix the fried shallots and chicken cracklings together, season with more fine sea salt if need to. Set aside.
If you want to store crack. Freeze the chicken crackling + fried shallots in an air-tight container, and refrigerate the oil in an air-tight container.
The slurp/noodle (makes for 1 serving only/for each bowl):
- 2 tbsp of crack-oil (the reserved fat)
- 3 tbsp of crack (chicken crackling + fried shallots)
- The carb: 14 oz (400 grams) of fresh, thick-cut Chinese hand-rolled noodles
- The paste: 1/2 tbsp of sichuan douban chili paste
- The seasoning:
- 1 1/2 tbsp of soy sauce
- 1/4 tsp of dark soy sauce (mainly adds color to the dish)
- 1/4 tsp of rice vinegar
- 1/4 tsp of sugar
- 1/8 tsp of MSG, optional
- The spices:
- 1/2 tsp of ground red sichuan peppercorn
- 1/2 tsp of ground white pepper
- The aromatics/herbs:
- 1 smashed garlic clove
- 1/4 cup of finely diced scallions
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To make the slurp/noodle: Bring a large pot of water to boil.
Meanwhile, in a bowl, mix 2 tbsp of crack-oil, douban chili paste, all the seasonings and spices, and 1 smashed garlic clove (smashed enough to release flavour, but intact so you can pick it out later) until even. Cook the noodle until done, then drain through a slotted spoon and add to the bowl. Mix well, add a couple tbsp of the cooking water if it’s too dry. Then top with 3 tbsp of crack and the diced scallions. Mix again, and slurp.
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99 responses to “BUNKER CRACK SLURP”
Kick ass food+ lack of religion= my new best friend! Ok, well, I don’t want to sound creepy, but you are my twin. Well you would be if I had one. Can’t believe I just found your blog via Lifesucker, I mean Pinterest. I will follow it religiously!
MELISSA, hello twin~
can you use pork cracklings that you buy at the store?
I’ve never tried it, because I’ll need the fat to fry the shallots anyways? The store-bought cracklings tend to be a bit large in pieces, so maybe break them up first. But let me know how it tastes if you do :)
Lifesucker… I hope they change their name to that.
If you do that, can you just buy lard at the store?
You can But you won’t have the crispy bits :)
I’m a Buddhist and I love your conviction, and your recipes. Beautiful. Cracking and slurping may be my new religion. Thank you.
You’ve done it again Lady .. Incredible recipe, fantastic post, fabulous picture!
I need to tell boss-man…. need more time off, at least one more day a week, timed with the day after you blast my food imagination, sost ( its a word) I can stay home and however ineptly, jam in the kitchen replicating these eye/mouth feasts.
number 1 blog in my world!
ohmygod. i need you to open a restaurant with all of the lady and pups recipes and i need this restaurant to be… my neighbor.
or i at least need to figure out how i can get those hand rolled noodles. i brought some back from hong kong and they were gone in a second. i haven’t been able to find them since.
MOLLY: Oh man… I was this close to trying to figure out how to make these hand rolled noodles, but then sanity stopped me. But I’m sure it’s something like wheat flour + water + salt… It’s the ratio that’s the bitch… If I ever figure it out, i’ll let you know.
I absolutely concur with Molly on this. Your recipes are always breathtaking!
Wow, this looks amazing, love the noodles!
I believe I just found religion. It is hiding somewhere under those noodles!
Ha – you’re killin’ me!! So funny -” NOT leave my apartment. For as looong as I can.” I kind of know the feeling. At least it is getting warm…. This recipe sounds great. We pretty much always have the stuff. I do freeze duck fat, so I might use that to add some flavor. I love frying shallots or scallions and adding on top of stuff with a fresh herb – lots of good textures.
p.s. The religion part – I totally get it. Nobody knows!!! Seems it has just caused anguish, judgement, wars and death…….
Haha so much angst! I love your posts and love all the food pictures. Makes me drool and miss REAL Asian food in Hong Kong. Going to have to make some of your recipes!! Thanks again for the good laugh.
MSG not optional. But it was nice of you to say so, for the unbelievers :) Such a great post, Mandy! I need these religious noodles, like need is not too strong of a word, right?, soon, perhaps TONITE.
I must be dreaming but have you just made the most addictive noodles on the planet? Please Mandy send me a bowl of bunker noodles because I sure could use its healing powers now.
BELINDA: hang in there~ may the force of crack-slurp be with you.
you = rockstar
Another amazing recipe. I totally agree on the religion aspect. Plus if there was a god, he would not let people get cancer or all the other horrible things that happen in the world.
Ok I have to comment now. Religion has caused all the hate and war, but Jehovah (God’s name) does not back false religion, nor does he cause suffering. In fact, false religion and what it teaches create atheists. The bible is jehovah’s letter to mankind explaining his purpose for humans and this earth. We were meant to live in peace and unity, all races and cultures sharing amazing food, stories and traditions. Don’t stop asking the big questions, get answers now. You owe it to yourself and to a Creator who created us to savor life. Check out http://www.jw.org
This looks AMAZING
I wish I was eating this RIGHT now! I’m pretty sure it’s impossible to get those fresh noodles where I live :(
JASMINE: Try using any other fresh noodles or dried Asian noodles. I do it sometimes, too.
Carby, salty goodness. Looks delicious. I will look out for that paste!
http://liveitinerantly.com/
Love your site- thanks Foodgawker! This looks amazing, I can see myself becoming addicted for sure!
Marry me! (I’m married to a vegetarian)
An amazing recipe! Love your gorgeous pictures!
I grew up eating this in my Grandma’s house ( Crack-Oil + Crack = Schmaltz and Gribenes) except it was onions not shallots and they were mixed into mashed potatoes making them the best side dish in the world for roast chicken. She always had a jar of schmaltz in her fridge and used it everywhere you would use butter (she kept Kosher, no mixing dairy and meat). For example try making an omelette with it or in a sandwich of chopped chicken livers, schmaltz, and black radishes on rye or pumpernickel bread. I am salivating. Looking forward to trying these noodles. Thanks for bringing back a great memory
Wow, this looks so delicious! I really like fried shallots. I think I have most of the ingredients and will give it a try!
Man, I don’t even know where to begin with these noodles. Chewy wide noodles, crackling, chili paste, MSG (!!) — as a fellow bunker-dweller, I think just saying “I need this in my life” is a gross understatement. I need this in my life like every day, every meal. It looks SO GOOD. P.S. I feel like using MSG in a home-cooked recipe deserves a HARDCORE fist bump, just btw. P.P.S. I second Molly. Restaurant please! Along with a cot in the corner for me to sleep on so that I never have to leave.
Your photos are gorgeous! I am now craving a bowl full of these noodles. Too bad I JUST ate dinner..
Holy mother of carbs!!!! the noodles look too good to eat……yeah right, let me dive into the bowl and slurp my way into blissful oblivion. Thanks for the recipes.
Oh my goodness, that looks incredible, but alot of work, come make me some… on the other hand I am religious and believe in God.. It just makes sence… My beliefs anyways, I have found a lot of answers through my faith and prayer and my religion, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints…You ask the questions and they have the best answers and you pray about it and listen. Its hard to accept that God cannot be in control of everything, do away with all the evil and sickness, if he did, that would take away free agency…sad as it is its part of his plan…we agreed to it in pre-earth…Our choices =consequences. someday we will understand the fullness of it all. Keep Cooking and where do you live?
SHARON: reluctantly in Beijing
Love this! As if I needed an excuse to eat more chicken skin. I’m going to try this ASAP, thanks.
And I was beginning to think I was the only non-religious food blogger out there….. Glad to know I’m not alone in my lack of beliefs, my desire to never leave the house unless the weather is pristine, and my love of crack (noodles that is). Seriously though, those noodles look amazing. Consider me a new follower!
Please share a trick to making this delicious as a vegetarian dish!!!!!!! I’m dying.
JODY: Just switch chicken fat with olive oil! You’ll have to do without the chicken skin cracklings though… I don’t know if there’s something to place that in vegetarianism?
I think soycurls would do the trick, though I haven’t tried them (they don’t have them where i live, alas)
OMG that crack! My mom makes that and it’s seriously addicting. I can eat that with just rice and soy sauce any day!
Wowza! When I go back to work on my boat (for a month) my bag will be stuffed with Asian noodles and douban paste. Will there be mutiny if I run out? It’s almost a moral dilemma.
This looks delicious! Also, it’s SO refreshing to read page, with a great recipe by someone who is NOT religious. I’m adding you to my rss feed! :)
this amazing post ended up being the most religious experience of my life! I’ve now divide my life into Before Crack (BC) and after. and besides the recipe, great photos and stoey telling. you got a new cult member here for sure :)
Simon, welcome aboard!
Totally enjoyed your wanderings..inside your dwelling of course! As a senior, i love my little dwelling and enjoy the mysteries of finding new delights within my little home. Thanks for the fun
Well….it’s official….A blog made me laugh so hard I wet myself. Well done friend. …well done.
Great blog! You have a new follower!
Aww I was super excited to try this until I read your opening paragraph .. & speak for yourself when you say “nobody knows” because I do know :)
WOW, that Bunker Crack Slurp looks soooo good! Not sure I’ve got what it takes to actually make the solid crack, or liquid crack, but will definitely use some substitutes I’m thinking of right now… Never tried douban paste, but the pix look so good, I’ve gotta try this recipe with something right now!!! If any of the substitutes I use turn out worthy, I’ll send those along, if you like…
Yes please report back!
Where I live, we don’t have fresh noodles. Not even in our “Asian specilaty markets”, which have great varieties of stuff and mostly authentic goods. None of these had fresh noodles and none had chicken skins! Or pork skin. Or duck skin. One not so authentic looking place actually looked horrified I asked for such a thing. I ended up with pork belly, which looked fabulous, so I snagged it- despite my girlfriend being convinced their health standards are so subpar we will die if we ingest their meat, hahaha.
I’m not sure how this will work out. I will slice it super thin and hopefully crisp up everything. Skin, fat and meat! I’ve never used pork belly myself, but I’m so excited to try. Have you ever used pork belly for this incredible, religious-zen-invoking crack?
Ps. I share your intense pleasure in food and hermetic tendencies. I wish I’d discovered this recipe a long time ago!
Pps. I’m so jealous of your food related opportunities in Beijing! I’d be in every food vendor on the street’s stall, pigging out. I could eat someone out of house and cart if the food is good enough!
Morgan: You can certainly use the FAT-PART of the the pork belly, trim them off and dice them into small cubes, then fry just like instructed, which is what I did with this version:
http://u6n.80b.mytemp.website/2014/05/28/crack-slurp-pt-2-mah-khao-soi/
Or you can buy whole chicken, and simply just remove the skin from it :) Good luck!!!! I hope have great success with this recipe, one of my favourite.
You had me at fried chicken skin. I can’t wait to start slurpping!!
Two questions:
Can I just chop my unfrozen chicken skins up small instead of freezing them first?
Can I cook chicken skins and shallots at the same time, or throw the shallots in with the chicken skins after they’ve rendered a bit of fat?
Suze, yes you can use unfrozen skins. Frozen ones are just much easier to cut into small pieces. But you can’t cook them at the same time. If you throw shallots in while the rendered skins are still in there, the skins may get burnt because it also takes some time to fry the shallots.
Just tried this recipe….YUM! I used the dried noodles and it was still amazing…I also substituted the crack with bacon and the fat with hot oil. I also added some chili paste to make it extra hot! AMAZING! Nothing I didn’t love about this noodle dish….even with the substitutions….can’t wait to make the original and many more versions of this dish. Thanks!!!!
Finally someone who thinks like I think. Wow! Love your outlook and can’t wait to try this.
Great post Mandy. I remember when my son was about 9 and first discovered how much he loved crispy chicken skin. Someone at the dinner table told him that he could get some serious money selling it on ebay. He actually believed it and we didn’t set him straight for days. I think he would love this recipe – I know would. I love how you are so honest with your food and your blogging. You just don’t play it safe.
I can’t even pass by this on Pinterest without stopping by to drool yet again… I feel like this should be my birthday dinner!
OMG , you must be my lost daughter! Love your post and admire your honesty with no fear of being judged. I will be following you, although I am a vegetarian…only thing that makes sense to me.
This looks wonderful
I love a good noodle dish, but I have to ignore any addition of MSG, lol, they have me on a low salt diet…. lol
I made this tonight and suddenly my boyfriend keeps making weird marriage jokes. If he proposes, it’s your fault.
Lucy, ahhahahaaa!!!! One of the funniest comment ever. I also have to scare-your-boyfriends-away recipes if you need them, to repair the “damage”.
Hi Mandy,
I’m loving your blog :-) I would really love to make this, it looks amazing. The only problem is that I live in Botswana so to get Douban paste would be impossible :-/ any suggestions of something else I could use or how I could make my own paste?
Thanks!!
Alex, unfortunately it would also be unlikely to make your own douban paste, as it is a slow fermentation process like soy sauce… you could try with another type of Asian chili paste, perhaps Korean gochujang? Or perhaps Southeast Asian sambal?
Shut the front door! I need this in my life immediately. Gorgeous!
Hello, as I read over your blog and what you said about “nobody knowing if there is a God or not?” I just wanted to share a few words with you that might help you to understand that there is a God. So many people these days I believe are asking themselves that question, they truly want to know. Well I will tell you that YES there is a God. He loves you very much and cares about you so much! He loves you and I so much that he sent his only begotten Son Jesus Christ to come and die on the cross to pay for your sins and mine. He shed his blood to pay for my sins and the sins of every person that has ever been and will be born. The Bible tells us that we are all born sinners. We are born with a sin nature and it’s our sin that separates from Christ. The Bible says, “For the wages of sin is death” That means because of sin we are all going to die one day. And when we die there are only 2 places a person will go, heaven or hell. But the verse goes on to say ” but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” If we as an individual accept the free gift that God offers to us, salvation, then we will live forever in heaven with Him. We must get saved in order to go to heaven. What is salvation you may ask. Well its simply realizing that you are a sinner and because of our sin we are separated from Christ. Next we must believe in what Jesus did for us when He came to earth and died on the cross to save us from our sin. God is perfect, He cannot sin and that is why he came to earth. He came to die on the cross and shed His blood for my sin and yours. If we turn to God and repent of our sins he will come and live inside of our hearts. He will forgive us of our sin. If we accept His free gift of salvation then we will one day live with Him in heaven. He is a loving, merciful, caring and Holy God. But… He gives us each a choice to make. Will we accept what he has done for us or will we reject it? The choice is ours to make and will determine where every person ever born will spend eternity.
I hope you found this to be helpful. If you have any questions you can email me. I would love to share more with you on this subject and how you can know the truth.
Thanks for reading.
I Would love to receive your mail…I think your awesome!!!
Doesn’t have to be a carb base, spiralized veggies work great if you prep them right and don’t cook them too long. Surprised to see MSG, it’s so gnarly. I also switch the soy out with coconut aminos in my own version of this type of dish. I also like to throw in Thai basil from the garden, or really, anything. Thanks
You shouldn’t be surprised as there is no scientific evidence to suggest that MSG is remotely harmful to 99.9% of the human population. Most of “MSG sensitivity” is just people completely deluding themselves.
Agreed
I don’t really like spicy things. For me, black pepper can get quite spicy. I’ve been making sweet and savory noodles using this recipe by removing the chili paste and instead using a (to taste) mixture of honey, brown sugar, rice vinegar, soy sauce, and a tiny bit of sesame oil (to balance out the sweetness). i also add some toasted sesame seeds to the crunchy topping to round out the sweet flavor.
It’s absolutely delicious and I could eat these noodles all day long! They are absolutely delicious. Way better than any takeout I’ve ever gotten and really easy, too. I often make them as a snack, but adding some shredded chicken and mushrooms makes this a very hearty meal.
Thanks for the great feedback and variations!
I like the broad spectrum of comments ranging from “YES chicken fat is the best” to “haveitoldyouaboutourlordandsaviorjesuschrist”
JS, i don’t even want to mention the emails on “haveitoldyouaboutourlordandsaviorjesuschrist”
Oh, I can only imagine…
This recipe looks amazing, can’t wait to try it!
Literally wee’d myself in excitement for this. Shall make it tomorrow.
What is the exact name of these noodles? I was in an Asian grocery store & about freaked out with all the choices. I’ve bought the wrong noodles before, but I want the right ones!
Julia, you mean the white noodle itself? It was thick-cut hand-rolled noodles, 手擀宽面。
I love that I got the giggles reading this and that I just want to proclaim for all the world to hear “I love crack!”. Have you ever bunkered down and cracked out with salmon? Bet that would be heavenly with a noodle prep like this.
OMG, it really is crack !
Well I had leftover noodles and crack (both liquid and solid) from making your Mah Khao Soi, so I thought – why not make this? I almost couldn’t decide which I liked better! (The Mah Khao Soi just by the tiniest margin because I adore yellow curry.) The flavours were big and bold, just the way I like it. But once again, next time I’ll tone it down a bit with the soy sauce, because I found it too salty for me.
Maybe it was because I put the (solid) crack in the fridge for a couple of hours before remembering that you said to store it in the freezer, because the crack went soggy the next day after I defrosted it. I’ll have to make some crack again ASAP to test this out ;)
Angela, glad you liked it! I do like things on the saltier side, and different soy sauce differ in saltiness too, so adjustments are often needed in recipes like these.
I really wish people would quit using Crack as a funny term, there is nothing funny about it and it should never be viewed as a joke or taken lightly!!
Other than that I love your recipe!
Ive had this pinned for so long, ordered the douban chili paste online and finally made it today. Its not worth the wait or the effort. Id rather spend those calories from fat on something else.
This our new favorite quick meal. We make it with Chiankiang vinegar and I turn the cracklin’ fat into chili crack oil by heating it with aromatics, spices and generous amounts of chili flakes (Szechuan, of course). We always keep Doubanjiang and a jar of left over chili crack oil in the fridge to throw this together. We make it a complete meal by throwing some soybean sprouts and greens (gai lan, bok choy or just spinach) into the boiling water with the noodles and finish with slices of cucumber. Delicious. Thanks for the recipe, Mandy.
You had me at crack, lol! Heading out to try to find this paste today. Hopefully not too difficult a task here in Ottawa, Canada. Just wondering, is this a noodle dish that a runny egg would be good over?
Karen, a runny egg is good over anything! :)
I made this for my family’s Easter Meal! A non traditional AWESOME meal that I made from scratch due to your tempting picture! I have 3 kids & a Hubby who said in unison, QUOTE “This is on the Top Ten”! I love Bunker Crack Slurp so much! It Will be My Next Doggy’s name! Cross my heart!!! Amazing instructions! These were my first noodle making in about 10 yrs…I dunno why I buy noodles! These were the bombdiggity, all from scratch…High Five! My one son had a runny egg in his, my Hubby bulked up on the solid crack & green onions, my daughter stayed home to eat with us, & my other son could not stop talking while he was slurping! A very good Easter!!! I promise I will get better! You totally rock! Big Smiles! Peace Out!!!
Oh this sounds so good! I’m soo going to have to try this! I think I’ll give it a go this weekend! Thanks for it!
Mandy, excited to try this recipe ! I recently discovered a Sichuan noodle dish and can’t stop making it or eating it I should actually say…I’ll go to the fridge for something else and then I have to dip into it for a bite or two.
Also I’m what I call “a left over hippie” so yeah 66 years old. I too believe in Christ but would never lay all the bible quotes on ya as that was what used to send me running back in the day when people did that to me…all I saw in Christianity was hypocrits..until I became awaken to being found. First off I will say when anyone literally talks to God as if you think He’s out there and with expectation of an answer you will receive it be it in a dream, vision, or hearing inner or audibly. Ok so now that you probably think I’m cray cray I will just end here by saying my experiences out way any doubt, and also that God is Love plain and simple, and Christ came to lay down His life out of love, that His spirit could be gifted to teach and help us with revelation. It’s bliss, Thankyou for reading, Bonita
greetings from the UK unfortunatly just fed the dog the rest of my pork crackaling guess the poor things only getting roast pork next time :)
Well this post aged well with the staying home and bunker references lol
10 years later, still a favorite. Thank you