Laoyou "Ol' Buddy" Noodles! A classic from Nanning (capital of the Guangxi Autonomous Region), its mix of garlic, fermented chilis, fermented black beans, and sour bamboo shoots is a combination of flavors that just... works.

0:00 The Ol Buddy Flavor Profile
0:48 Origin of Ol Buddy Noodles
1:49 How to find pickled bamboo?
2:32 How to find fermented chili?
2:53 How to find douchi, Chinese fermented black beans?
3:07 High level overview
3:42 Prep & Toast Bamboo Shoots
4:04 Mince Together Garlic & Douchi
4:13 Which noodles to use?
4:45 Boil Noodles to 80% done
5:00 Marinate Meat (if using)
5:36 Prep Sauce
5:55 Make the Soup
6:55 Other variations?

INGREDIENTS:

* Sour bamboo shoot (酸笋) 40g

* Garlic, 3 cloves, minced

* Douchi, a.k.a. Chinese fermented black beans (豆豉), ½ tbsp

* Hunan chopped chilis (剁椒) or Guizhou ‘pickled chili’ (糟辣椒), preferably, ½ tbsp

* Fresh noodles (生面), 100g or rice noodles, 100g, or dried noodles, ~70g or one pack of instant noodles

* Meat (optional): Pork (瘦肉), 40g; pig liver (猪肝), 40g

* Marinade for pork (use the same amounts for the liver): 1/8 tsp salt, ¼ tsp sugar, ½ tsp cornstarch (生粉), 1/8 tsp soy sauce (生抽), ¼ tsp liaojiu a.k.a. Shaoxing wine (料酒/绍酒), ~1/2 tsp oil

* Sauce: Soy sauce, (生抽), 1 tbsp; Rice vinegar, (米醋), 1 tbsp; Oyster sauce, (蚝油), 1 tsp; Sugar, ¼ tsp; Salt, 1/8 tsp; Chicken bouillon powder (鸡粉), 1/8 tsp

* Stock, 600mL

* Sliced scallions, to top

SOURCING:

SOUR BAMBOO
For sour bamboo shoots, we used this sort of product in the video: https://www.amazon.com/PickledPepper... or https://www.sayweee.com/en/product/Ba...

THAT SAID, after doing a bit of a deeper dive, it appears that both Thai and Vietnamese versions of sour bamboo shoots ARE available internationally. The Vietnamese sort would be absolutely ideal:

https://www.sayweee.com/en/product/As...

But the Thai ones would also work well:

https://www.amazon.com/CockBrandPic...

CHOPPED PICKLED CHILIS
Can’t seem to find these on Amazon today :/ Woks of Life has a discussion on the brands that you’d likely be able to find at Chinese supermarkets in the West here: https://thewoksoflife.com/duojiaoch...

If you’re in the USA, Weee! carries them, of course: https://www.sayweee.com/en/product/Ch...

Weee! even carries the Guizhou pickled pepper: https://www.sayweee.com/en/product/La...

Any basic fermented chopped chili would hit the same notes, though.

DOUCHI, FERMENTED BLACK SOYBEANS

Easy enough.

https://www.amazon.com/ChineseDouchi...
https://www.sayweee.com/en/product/Ya...

PROCESS

First, squeeze and slice up your bamboo shoots, then toast them for ~2 minutes over a medium high flame in a dry wok. If you’re planning on making this regularly, you can make a big batch and keep a jar of toasted bamboo shoots handy.

Mince up the garlic and the douchi. Measure out the chopped chilis.

Boil your noodles of choice to about 80% done.

Slice and marinate the pork. If pork liver’s inconvenient for you to buy, double the pork quantity (and marinade quantity too, obviously).

Mix the sauce.

To make the soup: quickly fry the pork in ~1/2 tbsp of lard over a medium high flame until done, ~1 minute. Remove and set aside, and shut off the heat. Then, go in with another ~1/2 tbsp of lard, and fry the garlic, douchi, and chili sauce. Quick mix, then add the bamboo shoots. Another quick mix, then add the prepared sauce & fry for ~15 seconds. Add in the stock, bring up to a boil.

Once boiling, add in the cooked pork together with the uncooked liver. After ~15 seconds, add in the (mostly cooked) noodles. Boil together for ~30 seconds, then move to a bowl. Top with sliced scallions.

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Quick note that I forgot to credit the footage of the Thai steamed fish at 0:11 invideo! This was from Mark Wiens and Pailin's Thai steamed fish collab. Nice video, check it out:    • Thai Steamed Fish With Lime and Garli...  

And check out our Patreon if you'd like to support the project!
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Outro Music: คิดถึงคุณจัง by ธานินทร์ อินทรเทพ
Found via My Analog Journal (great channel):    • Live Stream: Favourite BSide Tracks