Dan Dan noodles is a spicy Sichuan noodles dish named after the traditional carrying pole “Dan Dan” that street vendors use to balance two baskets laden with food. They carry the pole over their shoulder and would stop when hailed by a customer, and would prepare and cook the noodles right in the street.

Today, Dan Dan noodles is a famous dish all over the world. There are many ways to prepare it, with a broth or just with a sauce. Cathay Pacific Airline serves in its airport lounge one of the best Dan Dan noodles soup. It’s probably the most popular item on their menu.

What are the key ingredients?

This delicious Dan Dan Noodles recipe is served with a thick sauce made of Chinese sesame paste, chili oil, ground Sichuan peppercorn, soy sauce and black rice vinegar.

The traditional topping is made with minced pork, but you could substitute with minced chicken or minced tofu for a vegetarian version. The minced protein is stir fried with preserved mustard green and roasted peanuts for a crunchy texture.

Preserved or pickled mustard greens are available in most Asian markets or could be ordered via Amazon, see the link at the end of this post. There are 2 main types of preserved mustard greens, the Ya Cai which is the chopped pickled mustard green or the Zha Cai which is the preserved mustard stems. Either one could be used in this recipe.

For this dish, it’s best to get thin wheat noodles from Asian stores. They are available as dry noodles or semi-fresh noodles in the refrigerated area. You could also order them from Amazon, please see the link at the end of this post.

How to cook Dan Dan Noodles?

Typically the peanuts should be fried in oil, but I prefer to skip this step and roast the peanuts in the toaster oven instead for a less oily dish. You only need to make sure that they are crispy and not burnt.

The noodles should be cooked in boiling water according to package instructions, and during the last few seconds, add the green vegetable such as pak choy or Chinese broccoli.

The mince meat should be marinated then simply stir fried.

The sauce is mixed separately and spooned in the bowls before serving.

How to make the sauce?

The hero ingredient is the Chinese sesame paste which is available from most Asian stores, or you could order it via Amazon (see the link at the end of the post). The sesame paste is very thick and needs to be diluted with an equal amount of water.

The other ingredients that create the distinctive flavor are the chili oil and Sichuan peppercorns

Dan Dan Noodles

Sichuan Spicy Noodles

Print Recipe

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 30

Course Entree

Cuisine Chinese

Servings 4

Ingredients

10 oz 300 gr Minced Pork (or minced beef or chicken). For vegetarian version, use diced tofu or mushrooms
1 tbsp Chinese cooking rice wine
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp vegetable oil
3 tbsp roasted peanuts or toasted sesame seeds
2 tbsp minced ginger
2 tspn chili flakes
3 tbsp minced preserved mustard green

Sauce

3 tbsp Chinese sesame paste
3 tbsp Water
4 cloves Garlic, minced
4 tbsp Light soy sauce
2 tbsp Black Rice Vinegar
1 tspn ground Sichuan peppercorn
3 tbsp Chinese chili oil
1/2 tspn Sugar

Garnish

14 oz 400 gr Wheat Noodles
2 cups green vegetables (bok choy, Chinese broccoli etc)
1/2 cup Minced green onions

Instructions

Marinate the minced meat with the soy sauce and cooking wine. Stir to loosen the meat.
Put the roasted peanuts in the toaster oven to crisp them. Crush when cool.
Heat oil in a large frying pan, add the ginger, meat with the marinade and mustard green, chili flakes. Stir fry till dry and crisp.
Meanwhile, make the sauce. In a bowl, mix the sesame paste and water till smooth. Add all the other sauce ingredients. Mix well. Scoop the sauce into 4 bowls.
Boil water and blanch the noodles according to the package instructions, in the last 10 seconds, add the green vegetables to blanch. Drain the noodles, rinse under cold running water. Divide the noodles and vegetable into the 4 bowls with the sauce.
Scoop the meat topping over the noodles, sprinkle the toasted peanuts (or sesame seeds) and minced green onion on top. Serve warm.