Dan Dan Noodles

Chinese

Dan dan noodles are one of my favourite dishes to come out of Sichuan. They're spicy, nutty and absolutely packed with flavour, with chewy noodles coated in a rich sesame-chilli sauce and topped with savoury, caramelised pork. And another great thing? You can have this whipped up in 30 minutes, making it one of those dishes that's definitely going to become a regular in your kitchen.

Recipe Stats

Cooking time

25 minutes

Serves

Difficulty

Easy

Spice

4.5 from 2 ratings

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Notes

Some secret knowledge

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Possible Substitutions

Pork mince: Substitute with chicken, turkey or beef mince. Pork gives the most traditional flavour, but they'll all work.
Sweet bean paste: Hoisin sauce is an easy substitute and what I usually use when I don't have tianmianjiang.
Sui mi ya cai: Preserved mustard greens add a lovely salty, tangy crunch, but you can leave them out if you can't find them.
Sesame paste: Use Chinese sesame paste for a more traditional flavour, or smooth peanut butter for an easy substitute or even tahini.
Wheat/egg noodles: ramen, udon or even spaghetti can work in a pinch.

Things to Keep in Mind

Adjust the chilli oil to your spice tolerance. Start with less if you're sensitive to heat cause you can always add more at the end.
The sauce should be spicy, savoury, nutty and slightly tangy. Taste it before adding the noodles and adjust as needed.
Add the noodle water gradually so you don't accidentally make the sauce too thin.
Don't overcook the vegetables — you want them tender but still with a little bite.
For the best texture, serve the dish immediately after assembling.
If using peanut butter instead of sesame paste, choose a smooth, unsweetened peanut butter if possible.

Storage

Dan dan noodles are best eaten fresh, but you can store the components separately in airtight containers in the fridge for up to 3 days.

To reheat, warm the pork in a pan or microwave and loosen the sauce with a splash of hot water before tossing with freshly warmed noodles.

Possible Substitutions

Pork mince: Substitute with chicken, turkey or beef mince. Pork gives the most traditional flavour, but they'll all work.
Sweet bean paste: Hoisin sauce is an easy substitute and what I usually use when I don't have tianmianjiang.
Sui mi ya cai: Preserved mustard greens add a lovely salty, tangy crunch, but you can leave them out if you can't find them.
Sesame paste: Use Chinese sesame paste for a more traditional flavour, or smooth peanut butter for an easy substitute or even tahini.
Wheat/egg noodles: ramen, udon or even spaghetti can work in a pinch.

Things to Keep in Mind

Adjust the chilli oil to your spice tolerance. Start with less if you're sensitive to heat cause you can always add more at the end.
The sauce should be spicy, savoury, nutty and slightly tangy. Taste it before adding the noodles and adjust as needed.
Add the noodle water gradually so you don't accidentally make the sauce too thin.
Don't overcook the vegetables — you want them tender but still with a little bite.
For the best texture, serve the dish immediately after assembling.
If using peanut butter instead of sesame paste, choose a smooth, unsweetened peanut butter if possible.

Storage

Dan dan noodles are best eaten fresh, but you can store the components separately in airtight containers in the fridge for up to 3 days.

To reheat, warm the pork in a pan or microwave and loosen the sauce with a splash of hot water before tossing with freshly warmed noodles.

Method

cook the pork topping

Heat around 1 tbsp of neutral oil in a wok or frying pan over medium-high heat.

Add the minced pork and fry for 4–6 minutes, breaking it up as it cooks, until browned and it starts to release some of its fat.

Add the grated ginger and minced spring onion whites and stir-fry for another 1–2 minutes until fragrant.

season the pork

Add the Shaoxing wine, light soy sauce and dark soy sauce to the pan, using them to deglaze the pan.

Add the sweet bean paste, oyster sauce and chopped preserved mustard greens.

Stir everything together, then reduce the heat to low and cook for 2–3 minutes, until the pork is glossy, savoury and slightly caramelised.

Remove from the heat and set aside.

make the noodle sauce

In a bowl, combine the light soy sauce, sesame paste, chilli oil, black vinegar, sugar, Sichuan pepper, five spice, MSG, sesame seeds and minced garlic.

Whisk vigorously until everything is smooth and well combined.

Divide the sauce between 2 serving bowls.

cook the noodles

Cook the noodles according to the packet instructions.

During the last minute of cooking, add the green vegetables to the same pot and blanch until just tender.

Before draining, reserve around ½ cup of the starchy noodle cooking water.

assemble the bowls

Divide the drained noodles between the two bowls with the sauce.

Add a splash of the reserved noodle water and give everything a really good mix until the sauce loosens slightly and coats the noodles

Add a little more noodle water if needed, we want the sauce glossy and coating the noodles, not brothy.

serve & enjoy

Top each bowl with the cooked mince pork, blanched vegetables, soy-marinated egg yolk or soft-boiled egg, sliced spring onion greens and sesame seeds.

Finish with an extra drizzle of chilli oil.

Serve immediately and enjoy!

Dan Dan Noodles

Ingredients

for the pork topping

for the noodle sauce

for the noodles & toppings

Notes

Possible Substitutions

Things to Keep in Mind

Storage

Possible Substitutions

Things to Keep in Mind

Storage

Method

cook the pork topping

season the pork

make the noodle sauce

cook the noodles

assemble the bowls

serve & enjoy

Comments // 01

Raul

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