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1
Toast the Sichuan pepper in a dry wok over medium heat until fragrant, then grind to a fine powder. Set aside. This is the aromatic foundation of the sauce; the pepper must be freshly ground.
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2
Heat a small amount of oil in a wok over high heat. Add the ground pork and stir-fry, breaking it up, until the meat has coloured and begun to caramelise at the edges. Add the rinsed ya cai, soy sauce, and Shaoxing wine. Continue to stir-fry until the mixture is dry, fragrant, and slightly crispy. Remove from the heat and set aside.
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3
Build each sauce in its serving bowl: combine the Chinese sesame paste, chilli oil with sediment, light soy sauce, Chinkiang black vinegar, ground Sichuan pepper, and a pinch of sugar. Add stock or hot water gradually, stirring, until the paste loosens to a pourable but viscous consistency — it should coat the back of a spoon and flow slowly when the spoon is tilted. This is the step on which the dish lives or dies: a sauce too thick will clump on the noodles rather than coat them; a sauce too thin will pool at the base of the bowl rather than cling to every strand.
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4
Bring a large pot of water to a vigorous boil. If using blanched greens, pass the pea shoots or spinach through the boiling water briefly, then remove and set aside in the serving bowls. Cook the noodles in the same boiling water until just done — al dente or fractionally past, depending on the noodle — then drain immediately.
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5
Lower the drained noodles directly into each sauce bowl. Spoon the ground pork topping over the noodles. Scatter the blanched greens, if using, and the sliced spring onion. At service, toss the noodles through the sauce until every strand carries a glossy, orange-red film of the sesame-chilli-Sichuan pepper mixture. The dressed bowl, when the hot noodles meet the sauce, should release simultaneously the roasted chilli aroma of the oil, the citrus-floral ma note of the Sichuan pepper, the deep richness of the sesame paste, and the sharp brightness of the vinegar.