Dan Dan Noodles
Dan dan noodles is a popular dish in Sichuan and is super easy to make at home. You can adjust the spiciness to your preference by adjusting the chili oil in the sauce.
Ingredients
For the sauce
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2-4 tablespoons chili oil (to your own taste)
- 1 ½ tablespoons Chinese sesame paste (or peanut butter)
- ½ teaspoon dark soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon Chinkiang black vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sugar
For the ground pork topping
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 2 teaspoons minced ginger
- 4 ounces ground pork
- 2 tablespoons Sichuan preserved mustard greens (sui mi ya cai)
- 1 tablespoon Shaoxing cooking wine
- 1 teaspoon sweet bean sauce (or hoisin sauce)
- ½ teaspoon dark soy sauce
For the rest
- 8 ounces fresh or dried white noodles
- 2 tablespoons thinly sliced scallions
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine the sauce ingredients and set aside. Later, we will add some of the pasta cooking water to thin out the sauce.
- Heat a wok of medium-high heat. Add the oil and swirl it around the wok. Add the ginger and stir-fry for 30 seconds.
- Add the ground pork and stir-fry for 2 minutes until no longer pink, using your spatula to break up the pork into small pieces
- Add the Sichuan preserved mustard greens and stir-fry for 30 seconds until hot.
- Add the Shaoxing cooking wine, sweet bean sauce, and dark soy sauce. Stir fry for 1 minute until the Shaoxing wine has evaporated and you start to hear sizzling. Remove from the heat.
- Boil the noodles according to the package directions. Scoop out 2 tablespoons of the pasta water and add it to the sauce mixture from the first step.
- In two large bowls, divide the drained noodles, sauce mixture, pork topping, and scallions. Mix and enjoy! If you find the sauce is too thick/pastey, just add a little bit of water or chili oil to thin it out.