Take the dried noodles and separate them into small, thin batches before frying: the noodles expand as they cook, so frying a large amount at once may cause them to stick together and not cook evenly.
Heat the oil in a wok; place a small piece of noodle in the wok and wait for it to crisp up. This is the oil temperature that you should maintain while frying the rest of the noodles.
One batch at a time, carefully place the small batches of noodles into the hot oil. Fry the noodles until they are crispy and light golden in color. Be careful not to overcook them, as they will become too dark and burnt.
Use a slotted spoon or spider to remove the noodles from the hot oil, allowing any excess oil to drain off quickly. Be careful not to break the noodles as you remove them from the wok.
After removing the noodles from the hot oil, transfer them to a large container that can hold them. The crispy noodles will expand greatly in size, so it is important to have enough room in the container to accommodate this.
Making the sauce
In a small bowl, mix all the sauce ingredients together and set aside.
Using a mortar and pestle, pound together the saam gluuhr paste, coriander roots, garlic and white peppercorns. Set aside.
In a wok over medium heat, fry the saam gluuhr paste in pork lard until fragrant.
Add the shallots and continue frying until they become transparent, deglazing the wok as needed.
Add ground chili.
Once the shallots are cooked, add the sauce ingredients to the wok and allow the sauce to thicken.
Stir-frying the noodles
Adjust the heat of the sauce wok to low-very low.
Add the crispy noodles to the wok in small batches, and fold them into the thickened sauce using two ladles.
Gently fold the noodles into the sauce to ensure even coverage, being careful not to break the noodles. The noodles will remain crunchy, so it’s important to be gentle.
Once the noodles are well mixed with the sauce, add the bitter orange peels and thin slices of pickled garlic.
Serve the dish with chives, bean sprouts, deep-fried tofu, deep-fried dried shrimp, and an egg nest.