Dan Dan Noodle Recipe

What are Dan Dan Noodles (Dan Dan Mian)?

If you’re looking for popular Sichuan street food, look no further.  Dan Dan  noodles are smoky, spicy, flavorful and a really popular Sichuan meal for a reason. They are made from thin noodles, chili oil, Sichuan pepper, sesame paste, and ground pork. It is a dish that is so creamy and flavorful that will be having you come back for seconds!

How to Make Dan Dan Noodles?

If you’ve ever had  Dan Dan  noodles at a restaurant, the flavors might seem almost impossible to recreate. However, with the right ingredients, this dish is more simple than you’d think! The secret is in the way you prepare the ground pork and of course the iconic sauce.

For the ground pork, it is crucial to season the pork properly as this adds extra flavor and dimension to the final product. You want to also make sure to fully cook the ground pork because you will be using it as topping later. For the sauce, combine all the ingredients of the sauce together. I used a mortar and pestle to grind the Sichuan peppercorns as it ensures freshness. If you are not a lover of the numbing spice, you can lessen the peppercorns or omit it in general. However, the peppercorns is what makes this dish the iconic Sichuan dish. 

Sesame paste is generally not used in traditional  Dan Dan  noodles, however, sesame paste adds an irresistible creamy mellowness to the sauce. This can be substituted for peanut butter but the sesame paste has more of the toasty flavor that pairs well in the sauce.

For the noodles, generally  Dan Dan  noodles use a thin type of wheat noodles. If you can find dried or fresh  Dan Dan  noodles at the market that would be great, but another option would be to use  somen noodles. Somen noodles are fairly easy to find, quick to cook, and similar in thickness and texture to  Dan Dan  noodles. 

Sichuan Dan Dan Noodle Recipe

Ingredients: 

Pork:

• 3 tbsp sesame oil 

• 8 oz ground pork 
• 2 tsp hoisin sauce

• 2 tsp shaoxing wine

• 1 tsp dark soy sauce

• ½ tsp 5 spice powder

Sauce: 

• 2 tbsp sesame paste

• 2 tsp sugar
• ¼ tsp 5 spice powder
• ½ tsp ground sichuan pepper
• ½ cup chili oil
• 2 cloves garlic 
• ¼ cup hot water 
• 1lb dry noodles 

• Brocolini 

Additional toppings:

• Peanuts 
• Scallion 
• Extra chili oil 

Steps:

1. In a bowl, combine all the ingredients to make the sauce and set aside
2. In a pan, heat oil 
3. Cook pork and season with hoisin sauce, shaoxing wine, dark soy, and 5 spice powder 
4. Set aside to use later 
5. In a pot, cook noodles according to package instructions
6. In the same pot, add in broccolini
7. In a bowl, place sauce, then noodles and broccolini 
8. Add cooked pork on top 
9. Add extra toppings on top 
10. Serve and enjoy!