How to: make dan dan noodles
The Italians have bolognese, the Chinese have dan dan noodles: a warm bowl of noodles with fatty minced meat and a divine sauce. Comfort food at its finest, and making it yourself is not difficult at all.
To be honest, I’m surprised that I’m only writing this article now. Dan dan noodles have been my go-to for years whenever I’m in the mood for a true flavor sensation and comfort food, but don’t feel like cooking extensively. I first ate the noodles in the Chinese province of Sichuan, where the dish originates. On the street, bowls are displayed and stacked up. You choose your favorite noodle (egg, rice, thick or thin), the spicy sauce is at the bottom, and you stir it through yourself. Mmmm.
The name comes from the pole street vendors used to transport the noodles in the past. The pole hung over their shoulders, with a bucket at each end: one for the noodles and one for the sauce. Dan dan noodles therefore actually means ‘noodles on a pole’. It always contains minced pork and pickled vegetables (often mustard greens). You can find those pickled mustard greens (zha cai or ya cai) at Asian grocery stores.
Spicy
Like almost all dishes from Sichuan, dan dan noodles (or dan dan mian) are extremely spicy. This is due to a generous amount of chili oil, but also to Sichuan pepper. It isn’t spicy in the way you’re used to from sambal or sriracha, but gives a numbing sensation and has an anise-like flavor. If you bite into it, your entire mouth goes numb. You can add the peppers directly to your dish, but you can also crush them in a mortar and sift them. That way, you won’t have large pieces of pepper in your food.
Most versions, though not all, also contain Chinese sesame paste. It is slightly darker than tahini and you can find it at Asian grocery stores. I very often make the noodles with tahini, and sometimes even with a spoonful of peanut butter. The point is for the sauce to have a creamy, fatty texture. That’s delicious.
Method (serves 2)
First make the sauce by mixing 1 tbsp sesame paste; 2 tsp soy sauce; 1 tsp black vinegar; 3 tbsp chili oil (including chili pieces); 3 spring onions, thinly sliced, and 2 tbsp finely chopped pickled vegetables in a bowl. Heat 1 tbsp neutral oil in a frying pan, season 150 g minced pork with salt and fry. When the pork is almost completely browned, add 1 clove of garlic (finely chopped) and 1 tbsp finely chopped ginger. Fry for approx. 1–2 minutes to take away the rawness, then add 1 tbsp Sichuan pepper, 1 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine and 1 tsp soy sauce. Remove the meat from the pan and set aside.
Bring a pan of salted water to the boil and prepare 200 g noodles of your choice, as indicated on the package. Divide the sauce between 2 bowls and add approx. 100 ml cooking water (or warm homemade chicken stock, if you have some). Add the noodles to the bowl and place the minced meat on top. A little thinly sliced spring onion, and you’re good to go.
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Image: Andrea Nguyen
