Dan dan noodles, or 担担面, was one of my favorites when visiting Chengdu. It is spicy, hearty, filling and easy to make (as long as you have the ingredients). I tried to port the flavour over rather than stay true to the original recipe, so that it is also easy to make while here in the west.
Ingredients:
- Egg noodles
- Chili oil 红油
- Ground pork
- Soy sauce
- Hoisin sauce
- Neutral cooking oil
- Five spice powder
- Tahini or peanut butter
- Sichuan peppercorns
- Garlic
- Green onions (only the green part, garnish)
- Sugar
- Spinach
- Peanuts (optional)
Cooking plan
- Start by wokking your ground pork on high heat in neutral cooking oil. After it has browned, deglaze with cooking wine (shaoxing wine) or water, and add some soy sauce, hoisin sauce, and five spice powder.
- Next, start cooking your noodles per package instructions.
- While the noodles are cooking, assemble the sauce by mixing your garlic, chili oil, Tahini/peanut butter, some soy sauce, some sugar, five spice powder, sichuan peppercorns and some warm water (either tap, or from the noodles to add some extra starch if the sauce is too thin).
- Finally, blanch some spinach and roast some peanuts.
- Assemble your parts into a bowl. Smear the sauce on the bottom, place the noodles on top, then garnish with the pork, spinach, peanuts and the green part of some green onions. Optionally add some extra chili oil if you like things spicy.
ENJOY!!