Udon noodles with spicy sweet ground pork & cabbage sauce

Ingredients

• 3 teaspoons tahini (or Chinese sesame paste)
• 3 teaspoons dark sesame oil
• 3 teaspoons white miso
• 3 teaspoons rice vinegar
• Sambal Oelek or chili garlic sauce to taste (1/2 - 4 teaspoons )
• 2-4 teaspoons light brown sugar, to taste (start with lesser and taste at end)
• 1 teaspoons vegetable oil
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoons minced ginger
• 2 large shallots, thinly sliced
• 8 ounces ground pork
• 1/2 - 1 small head of napa cabbage, thinly shredded
• 2 cups chicken stock, preferably un-salted homemade
• 2 Tteaspoons Chinese light soy sauce
• 10-12 ounces dried udon noodles (or 1 libra fresh), cooked according to package directions
• 1/3 cup roasted, UN-salted peanuts, chopped
• 1 cup chopped cilantro
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced

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Preparation

• Whisk together the first 6 ingredients. Set aside. Heat a large wok or saucepan over high heat. Add the oil and when it is hot add the ginger, shallots and garlic.
• Stir fry until until they are golden and fragrant, about 3-5 minutes. Add the pork and break it up, stirring it as it fries.
• When it has lost most of its pink, add the cabbage and cook an additional 3 minutes, until the pork is cooked through and the cabbage is wilted and cooking. Add the stock and soy sauce.
• The sauce for this dish is fairly brothy. if you think that will bother you, let the sauce boil off for about 3-5 minutes at this point.
• Otherwise just bring to a boil and then turn off the heat. Immediately add the whisked together paste.
• Stir until it has been evenly absorbed into the sauce. Taste for additional sugar.
• Serve by ladling over the noodles in bowls and then sprinkling with cilantro, peanuts and scallions--be very generous with the cilantro and peanuts.