Tony Zentgraf
Dan Dan Noodles is a dish from the province of Sichuan, China. The dish name Dan Dan translates to “carrying pole noodles”. The dish was served by street vendors carrying noodles and sauce on a pole. They would heat the dish to order on the side of the road. Dan Dan Noodles – Culinary Seasons Style is a take on the original style made in China.
The Spicy Provence
Known for their love of heat, Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province, the cuisine explodes with chilis. Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province. Traditionally Dan Dan Noodles can be prepared with Sichuan pepper and chili oil to give the dish it’s spicy bite.
Sichuan Pepper the Numbing Berry
Sichuan pepper is not actually a peppercorn, it is a berry of the prickly ash tree. The sichuan pepper gives a mouth numbing lingering heat. Traditional ingredients include preserved vegetables and chinese mustard greens.
Traditional vs Variations
I came up with this recipe as a hybrid of some traditional techniques and some ingredients that create a lingering heat. Pork is traditional for Dan Dan Noodles. Substitute ground chicken or ground beef for a variation. I recommend keeping with pork or chicken personally.
You can make this dish Vegetarian by using vegetarian oyster sauce and using vegetable broth and omitting the meat.
I used some classic Chinese sauces in this recipe that may or may not be traditional such as mushroom soy and oyster sauce but the end result is a well balanced sauce with the garlic & chili spike that gives a great mouth feel of heat.
Mushrooms in this dish is not traditional but hey, you need to use what you have sometimes. Plus mushrooms adapt well to this dish.
The addition of cold cucumbers gives a nice cooling aspect to the dish, mix them into the noodles and sauce and you get a cooling crunch with the spice of the sauce.
Dan Dan Soup a Pleasing Variation
Just add heated broth seasoned as you like to the bowl and top with the Dan Dan Sauce as pictured below. Mix the sauce into the broth and noodles and eat as a soup.
Make this recipe for Dan Dan Noodles – Culinary Seasons Style and you will Love it!
Give Wok Cooking at Home a Try
Enjoy!
Enjoy more Culinary Seasons Asian recipes here.
Dan Dan Noodles – Culinary Seasons Style
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- ½ lb Ground Pork or Chicken
- 1 tbsp Vegetable Oil
- 1 tsp Kosher Salt
- ½ tsp White Pepper
- 8 ea Garlic Cloves sliced thin
- 1 tbsp Chili Paste (Sambal)
- 3 ea Scallions/Green Onions sliced
- 8 ea Large Cremini, Button Mushrooms, Shiitake or other mushrooms
- 1 tbsp Chili Oil
- 32 oz Cooked Chinese Noodles (can use dry noodles or precooked chinese noodles)
- ¼ ea English Cucumber half moons sliced thin
- Sesame seeds for garnish
Dan Dan Noodle Sauce
- 2 tbsp Sugar
- 1 ½ tbsp Oyster Sauce
- 2 tbsp Seasoned Rice Vinegar
- 2 tbsp Mushroom Soy Sauce
- 4 tbsp Soy Sauce
- 2 cups Chicken Broth
- Cornstarch to Thicken
Instructions
Cooking the Ground Pork
- In a hot saute pan or stove top wok, add the oil bring up to temperature.
- Add the ground pork and cook to sear, breaking apart into small pieces.
- Season with Kosher salt and white pepper. Continue to sear the meat until about 3/4 cooked. (Meat will finish cooking in the sauce)
- Remove the meat from the pan and drain the fat.
Premix the Sauce
- In a bowl, combine sugar, oyster sauce, mushroom soy sauce, rice vinegar & soy sauce. Mix to combine and dissolve the sugar. Hold aside until needed.
Assembling the Dish in the Pan or Wok
- In the pan or wok, add the sliced garlic and saute over a medium heat until fragrant.
- Add ½ of the chopped scallions to the pan. Saute with the garlic for a few seconds.
- Add the chili paste and the mushrooms.
- Saute for about a minute to soften the mushrooms.
- Add the ground pork to the pan. Saute to combine with other ingredients.
- Increase heat to high.
- Add the premixed sauce and the chicken broth. Mix to combine with ingredients in pan.
- Make the cornstarch slurry, 2 Tbl dry cornstarch and 1-2 Tbl of water. Mix to break apart the cornstarch, it should be the thickness of cream.
- Once the sauce comes to a boil, thicken the sauce with the cornstarch. Adding in small amounts while whisking to incorporate into the sauce.
- The sauce should begin to thicken within a few seconds. The sauce should start to bubble with large bubbles. You want the sauce to be thick enough to mostly sit on top of the noodles. If the sauce is not thick enough prepare more cornstarch slurry and add more while simmering. (When I was taught Asian cooking, I was told to look for the fish eyes in the sauce. Large bubbles during the thickening process.
- Add the chili oil to the sauce and stir to combine.
Preparing the Noodles
- If using dry chinese noodles, cook to al dente.
- Drain and portion the noodles into serving bowls.
- If using precooked noodles, blanch the noodles in boiling water to heat.
- Drain the noodles and portion into serving bowls.
Plating the Noodles
- Ladle the Dan Dan sauce on top of the noodles. Dividing between the 4 bowls.
- Add the cucumber slices as garnish as you like.
- Sprinkle with sesame seeds and remaining sliced scallions. Enjoy!
I could eat this everyday.