Finely mince the garlic and ginger. Dice green onions into small rounds and separate the white and green parts. For the pickled mustard greens, dice them into small bite-size pieces.

Preheat a large (12-inch) sauté pan over medium heat until hot. Add the oil, garlic, ginger, white scallion parts, and Sichuan peppercorns. Quickly sauté for about 10 seconds, just until fragrant—don’t let the aromatics burn. Lower the heat if needed.

Add the ground pork. Use a wooden spoon to break it up into small crumbles. Sauté over medium heat until the pork is no longer pink, about 5–6 minutes.

Add the pickled mustard greens and continue sautéing until most of the moisture has evaporated, about 3–4 minutes.

Add the soy sauce, soy paste, michu, and five spice powder. Turn the heat up to medium-high and sauté for another 7–8 minutes, until the pork becomes deeply browned and crisp around the edges, like bacon bits. Turn off the heat and set aside.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Blanch the vegetables and transfer them to a bowl of cold water. Drain and gently squeeze out the excess moisture.

Use the same pot to boil the noodles according to the package instructions. Before draining, scoop out some noodle cooking water and set it aside (you’ll use this to thin out the sesame paste).

In each serving bowl, add the light soy sauce, soy paste, vinegar, chili garlic sauce (if using), sesame paste, grated garlic, and 2 tablespoons of hot noodle water. Stir everything together until the sesame paste turns smooth and creamy.

Add more noodle water as needed—the sauce should be on the thinner side, since it will thicken when the noodles are tossed in.

Divide the cooked noodles into the seasoned bowls. Top with pork crumbles, green scallion parts, roasted peanuts, and a few pieces of blanched greens. Drizzle with more chili oil if desired. Toss everything together until the noodles are evenly coated in sauce. Serve immediately while hot.