Dan Dan Noodles

Dan Dan Noodles are a Sichuan street food classic: wheat noodles topped with sizzling ground pork cooked with Sichuan preserved vegetable, sitting over a bowl of nutty sesame-chili sauce that gets tossed together tableside. The result is spicy, numbing, savory, and deeply aromatic from Sichuan peppercorn.

By YumYum Editorial · Chinese

Prep: 15 min · Cook: 20 min · Total: 35 min · Serves 4

Ingredients

• 12 oz fresh wheat noodles
• 8 oz ground pork
• 1 tbsp neutral oil
• 2 tbsp ya cai (Sichuan preserved vegetable), chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp soy sauce, divided
• 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
• 4 tbsp Chinese sesame paste (or tahini)
• 3 tbsp chili oil, plus extra for topping
• 2 tbsp black vinegar
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp ground toasted Sichuan peppercorn
• 1/2 cup reserved noodle cooking water
• 2 scallions, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp roasted peanuts, crushed

Instructions

1. Heat oil in a wok over medium-high heat. Add ground pork and break it up, stir-frying until browned and slightly crisp, 4-5 minutes.
2. Add ya cai and garlic, stir-fry 1 minute until fragrant. Add 1 tbsp soy sauce and Shaoxing wine, cook 1 more minute, then set aside.
3. In each serving bowl, whisk together sesame paste, chili oil, black vinegar, remaining 1 tbsp soy sauce, sugar, and ground Sichuan peppercorn.
4. Boil noodles until just tender, about 2-4 minutes for fresh noodles.
5. Ladle a splash of hot noodle water into each bowl and stir to loosen the sauce into a smooth consistency.
6. Drain noodles and divide among the bowls, placing them on top of the sauce.
7. Top each bowl with the pork mixture, crushed peanuts, and scallions.
8. Drizzle with extra chili oil, then toss everything together at the table before eating.