Sichuan Spaghetti and Meat Sauce

A proper bolognese is a meat sauce that takes the better part of an afternoon to build its depth. This one takes a shortcut. It's put together more like a stir-fry than a braise, with ground pork and a handful of Chinese pantry staples doing in twenty minutes what a long simmer usually does.

The idea came to me while I was eating mapo tofu over noodles and thinking about its similarities to spaghetti and meat sauce. These weird ideas tend to pop into my head like an unannounced guest and refuse to leave until I actually cook them.

So I finally made this one, trading the olive oil for chili oil and the red wine for Shaoxing. The Sichuan depth comes down to three ingredients. Doubanjiang, a spicy fermented broad-bean paste, is the foundation of a lot of Sichuan cooking. Douchi are fermented black soybeans that are salty and deeply savory. And Shaoxing, a Chinese rice wine, rounds things out with its sweet, earthy depth. You stir-fry them with the pork before the tomatoes go in, then let it simmer briefly to help the flavors meld.

To add another level of texture and flavor, I finish the pasta off with scallions, black vinegar, Sichuan pepper, and a splash of chili oil to taste. Added at the last minute, they bring contrasts. The black vinegar and scallions cut through the rich, savory sauce, and the Sichuan pepper brings a citrusy, numbing tingle. That fresh lift at the end keeps each bite interesting. Adding the chili oil at the end also lets you tailor the heat level to your tastes.

Try pairing this with my mala garlic bread for a dinner that looks like Italy and tastes like Sichuan.