Dan Dan Noodles (Dan Dan Mian)
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This Dan Dan Noodle recipe packs a fiery, nutty, aromatic punch you will CRAVE plus you can easily adjust the heat level to suit your own tastes. These explosive noodles are made of fresh, thin noodles layered in an intense savory, smoky, spicy, numbing, sesame chili sauce laced with Chinese 5 spice and Sichuan peppercorns, then topped with crispy ground pork, green onions and chopped peanuts. The layers get stirred together to create the iconic slippery Sichuan noodles we all know and love. This Dan Dan Noodle recipe stays true to the authentic Sichuan flavor and details all the key ingredients but still offers plenty of pantry friendly substitutions. The ingredient list will look long, but there is hardly any chopping and less than 10 minutes of cook time – most of the ingredients are just whisked together, which means this recipe is a cinch and on your table in less than 30 minutes once you gather your ingredients!
Ingredients
Instructions
Easy Chili Oil: Add all of the spices to a heat proof bowl; set aside. Add vegetable oil to a small saucepan and heat over medium heat for 2-3 minutes, until 325 degrees F (no hotter). Very carefully pour oil over the spices. Whisk in sesame oil; set aside. Start boiling the water for the noodles so it’s ready to cook them later
Sauce: Mix all Dan Dan Sauce ingredients together except chili oil until smooth then whisk in 2-4 tablespoons chili oil (see notes). Set sauce aside and reserve leftover chili oil
Pork: Heat oil in a skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Once very hot, add pork and cook and crumble. Once almost cooked through, add the rest of the pork ingredients and cook for 1-2 minutes until the liquid is absorbed/evaporated. If the pork isn’t crispy at this point, increase heat to high and cook another 1-2 minutes; transfer to a bowl
Sui Mi Ya Cai: Reduce heat to medium. Heat 2 teaspoons of oil in the now empty skillet. Add the sui mi ya cai and sauté for 60 seconds to warm through; set aside
Noodles and Greens: Cook the noodles according to package directions, adding the greens the last 30 seconds of cooking to blanch. Drain and toss noodles with a drizzle of sesame oil to prevent them from sticking together
Assemble: Divide the sauce among four bowls. Top with noodles, choy sum (or leafy greens), pork, green onions and peanuts. Mix everything together until the noodles are well coated in the sauce. Add additional chili sauce to taste if desired (taste first!)
