Dan Dan Noodles (担担面)

Name: Dan Dan Noodles (担担面)
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 30 min
Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients: 1/3 cup Chinese sesame paste; 1/3 cup light soy sauce; 1/4 cup Chinkiang vinegar; 4 cloves garlic; 2 green onion; 2 tablespoons honey; 1/2 to 1 teaspoon Sichuan peppercorns; 1 tablespoon peanut oil; 1 lb ground pork; 1 tablespoon minced ginger; 2 green onions; 1 1/2 tablespoons fermented black beans; 1/2 cup Sui Mi Ya Cai; 2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine; 1/2 teaspoon sugar; 1/3 cup roasted peanuts; 14 oz dan dan noodles; 1 small batch leafy green vegetables; homemade chili oil

User Reviews

4.9

114 reviews

Excellent

Prep Time
30 mins
Cook Time
30 mins
Servings
6 servings
Calories
636 kcal
Course
Main Course, Appetizer
Cuisine
Chinese

Dan Dan Noodles (担担面)

Justin Wright

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A real-deal dan dan noodle recipe that stays true to the authentic Sichuan flavor. This post covers all the key ingredients and includes a super rich and balanced sauce to recreate the classic dish that tastes like China.

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Ingredients

Servings

Noodle sauce

1/3 cup Chinese sesame paste (or unsweetened natural peanut butter)
1/3 cup light soy sauce (or soy sauce)
1/4 cup Chinkiang vinegar
4 cloves garlic , finely minced
2 green onion , finely minced
2 tablespoons honey (or agave syrup)
1/2 to 1 teaspoon Sichuan peppercorns , toasted and grounded (*footnote 2)

Pork topping

1 tablespoon peanut oil (or vegetable oil)
1 lb ground pork
1 tablespoon minced ginger
2 green onions , chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons fermented black beans , rinsed and chopped
1/2 cup Sui Mi Ya Cai (Sichuan preserved mustard greens)
2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine (or dry sherry)
1/2 teaspoon sugar

To assemble

1/3 cup roasted peanuts , crushed
14 oz dan dan noodles (or thin wheat noodles)
1 small batch leafy green vegetables , roughly chopped (spinach, choy sum, baby bok choy etc.)
homemade chili oil , to taste (*footnote 1)

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Instructions

Prepare sauce

Whisk the sesame paste and light soy sauce together in a bowl until fully incorporated. Add the Chinkiang vinegar. Continue stirring until mixed. Then mix in the garlic, green onion, honey, and Sichuan peppercorns.

Prepare the pork topping

Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add the pork. Cook and stir until the surface is lightly browned.
Turn to medium heat. Add the ginger, green onion, fermented black beans, Sui Mi Ya Cai, cooking wine, and sugar. Cook and chop the pork into small pieces, until all the liquid has evaporated and the pork turns a dark brown color. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.

Prepare the noodles

Cook the noodles according to instructions.
Briefly blanch the leafy green vegetables, drain, and set aside.

To assemble the noodle bowls

For each noodle bowl, add 1/4 cup of noodle sauce. Add the chili oil according to your taste. Add some noodles, then top with a few spoonfuls of the cooked pork and green veggies. Garnish with peanut crumbles and chopped green onion. Sprinkle with a pinch of toasted ground Sichuan peppercorn, if you like the numbing taste.
Serve hot or cold.

Notes

Do add some chili oil even if you prefer not to eat spicy food, because it will add aroma to the sauce and your sauce won't end up very spicy.
I usually roast the Sichuan peppercorns in a bit of oil until they turn dark brown. Then pat them dry with paper towel and grind them into powder. The oil-roasted peppercorns will be less pungent and have a more rounded flavor. I prefer the cooked peppercorns in cold dishes and sauces so they won't overpower the other ingredients.

Nutrition Information

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Serving 1serving Calories 636kcal (32%) Carbohydrates 30.5g (10%) Protein 25.6g (51%) Fat 27.8g (43%) Cholesterol 47mg (16%) Sodium 980mg (41%) Fiber 4.6g (18%) Sugar 9.1g (18%)