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5.0 from 42 votes

Mr. Xie's Dan Dan Noodles

This recipe is a fairly faithful rendition of Mr. Xie's Dan Dan Noodles, from the excellent cookbook The Food of Sichuan, which I highly recommend if you like the food from that region. You'll see all the notes on special ingredients and substitutions above.

Prep Time
20 mins
Cook Time
20 mins
Total Time
35 mins
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 598 kcal
Course: Main Course , Snacks , Lunch
Cuisine: Chinese

Ingredients

TOPPING
  • 1/4 cup peanut oil
  • 3 to 10 small, hot chiles, fresh or dried, sliced or crumbled
  • 1/2 pound finely ground venison, pork, beef or some other meat
  • 1 teaspoon ground Sichuan pepper (optional)
  • 2 ounces Tianjin preserved vegetable or yibin yacai, rinsed off and squeezed dry (optional)
  • 3 teaspoons soy sauce
NOODLES
  • 1 pound Chinese wheat noodles or vermicelli
  • 4 teaspoons sesame paste
  • 2 teaspoons sesame oil
  • 4 tablespoons chile oil
  • 4 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon ground Sichuan pepper (optional)
  • 1/4 cup minced chives

Instructions

TOPPING
    Cup of Yum
  1. Heat the peanut oil in a wok or heavy frying pan over high heat. When it's hot, add the chiles and stir fry about 30 seconds, until you can smell them. Add the ground meat and stir to combine. Stir fry over very high heat until the meat has browned, then add the remaining topping ingredients, toss to combine and cook for another minute or so. Turn off the heat.
NOODLES
  1. Before you even start the topping, get a large pot of water over a burner set over high heat. You want it to be boiling when you are done with the topping, although it's not critical that both are done at the same time.
  2. After the topping is ready and the water boiling, add the noodles and gently stir them so they don't stick to each other. These typically only need maybe 3 minutes or so to be ready, but follow the directions on the package.
  3. While the noodles are boiling, divide all the other noodle ingredients - except for the minced chives - among four deep bowls. To serve, give everyone some noodles over the sauce ingredients, add some topping and some chives, and let everyone stir and mix and eat!

Notes

  • The optional ingredients really make this dish, but if this is your first time, skip them because chances are you'll need a special trip to buy them, or go via Amazon. That said, if you already like eating Dan Dan Noodles in restaurants, order the special ingredients. 

Nutrition Information

Calories 598kcal (30%) Carbohydrates 39g (13%) Protein 20g (40%) Fat 40g (62%) Saturated Fat 8g (40%) Cholesterol 37mg (12%) Sodium 1489mg (62%) Potassium 253mg (7%) Fiber 3g (12%) Sugar 2g (4%) Vitamin A 135IU (3%) Vitamin C 7mg (8%) Calcium 17mg (2%) Iron 4mg (22%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 4servings

Amount Per Serving

Calories 598

% Daily Value*

Calories 598kcal 30%
Carbohydrates 39g 13%
Protein 20g 40%
Fat 40g 62%
Saturated Fat 8g 40%
Cholesterol 37mg 12%
Sodium 1489mg 62%
Potassium 253mg 5%
Fiber 3g 12%
Sugar 2g 4%
Vitamin A 135IU 3%
Vitamin C 7mg 8%
Calcium 17mg 2%
Iron 4mg 22%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.