Dan Dan Noodles

Name: Dan Dan Noodles
Prep time: 25 min
Total time: 25 min
Cuisine: China
Ingredients: 1 tbsp neutral oil; 250 g (9 oz) ground pork; 1 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine, or dry sherry; 1 tbsp light soy sauce; 1 tsp dark soy sauce; 40 g (¼ cup) Sichuan preserved vegetables (ya cai), optional; or finely chopped pickled mustard greens; 4 tbsp Chinese sesame paste, or tahini; 3 tbsp light soy sauce; 1 tbsp Chinkiang black vinegar, or 2 tsp rice vinegar; 2 tsp sugar; 5 tbsp Chili Crisp, or store-bought chili oil with its sediment; 1½ tsp Sichuan peppercorns, toasted and finely ground; 2 cloves garlic, grated; 120 ml (½ cup) hot noodle-cooking water; 400 g (14 oz) fresh wheat noodles, or 300 g dried; 200 g (7 oz) bok choy or other Chinese greens, halved or quartered; 2 scallions, thinly sliced; 30 g (¼ cup) roasted peanuts, chopped (optional)

Sichuan street noodles with crisp pork, sesame and numbing heat

Serves: 4
Hands-on: 25 min
Total: 25 min
Level: Some skill

Dan dan noodles are served almost dry: a spoonful of savory, nutty, chili-oil sauce at the bottom of the bowl, noodles on top and crisp seasoned pork scattered over. You stir everything together at the table. Sichuan pepper gives the tingling, numbing sensation that defines it.

Ingredients

Pork

1 tbspneutral oil
250 gground pork (9 oz)
1 tbspShaoxing rice wineor dry sherry
1 tbsplight soy sauce
1 tspdark soy sauce
40 gSichuan preserved vegetables (ya cai) (¼ cup)optional; or finely chopped pickled mustard greens

Sauce (divided between 4 bowls)

4 tbspChinese sesame pasteor tahini
3 tbsplight soy sauce
1 tbspChinkiang black vinegaror 2 tsp rice vinegar
2 tspsugar
5 tbspChili Crispor store-bought chili oil with its sediment
1½ tspSichuan peppercornstoasted and finely ground
2 clovesgarlicgrated
120 mlhot noodle-cooking water (½ cup)

Noodles

400 gfresh wheat noodles (14 oz)or 300 g dried
200 gbok choy or other Chinese greens (7 oz)halved or quartered
2scallionsthinly sliced
30 groasted peanuts (¼ cup)chopped (optional)

Diet: Dairy-free
Allergens: gluten, soy, sesame, peanuts, sulphites, mustard
Origin: China (Sichuan)

Method

Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the pork and spread it out; leave it to brown, then break it up. Fry until the fat has rendered and the pork is crisp and deep brown, 8–10 minutes. 9 min
Add the rice wine and both soy sauces and cook until absorbed and the meat sizzles again, 1 minute. Stir in the preserved vegetable for 1 minute. Set aside.
Whisk the sesame paste, soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, chili crisp, Sichuan pepper and garlic together. Divide among 4 bowls.
Bring a large pot of unsalted water to a boil. Blanch the greens until bright and just tender, 1–2 minutes; lift out. 2 min
Cook the noodles in the same water according to the packet, usually 2–4 minutes. Just before draining, add 2 tbsp of the hot cooking water to each bowl and stir into the sauce. 3 min
Drain the noodles and divide among the bowls. Top with the greens, crisp pork, scallion and peanuts. Stir everything together thoroughly before eating.

Why it works

Sichuan pepper is not hot: it contains hydroxy-alpha-sanshool, which makes the lips tingle and numb, and that sensation changes how you perceive the chili heat around it (the pairing is called málà). Frying the pork until really crisp turns it from a sauce into a crunchy topping. The hot noodle water loosens the thick sesame paste into a sauce that coats rather than clumps.

Common mistakes

Pale, steamed pork: give it time to brown and crisp.
Stale Sichuan pepper: toast and grind it fresh for the tingle.

Variations

Vegetarian: Replace the pork with 250 g finely chopped shiitake mushrooms fried until crisp.

Make ahead and storage

Pork topping keeps 3 days in the fridge; reheat until sizzling. The sauce base keeps 1 week.

Notes

Ya cai is optional but gives authentic depth. Peanuts are often served on top in restaurants outside China; leave them out for a peanut-free dish. Mustard only if you add the ya cai.