Dan Dan Noodles - Recipe & instructions

Dan Dan Noodles - Recipe & instructions

Dan Dan Noodles Recipe

If there's one thing we love, it's good Chinese meals that taste like someone's grandma made them. Whether you've been cooking for 20 years or are just getting started, our foolproof Dan Dan noodle recipe will have you singing praises to the region in no time.

What Are Dan Dan Noodles? 

Dan Dan noodles are an iconic Sichuan dish and serve as one of the region's most popular Chinese street foods. 

It’s wheat noodles topped with seasoned minced pork, preserved mustard greens (sui mi ya cai), and a rich, spicy sauce made with sesame paste, soy sauce, and Sichuan peppercorns (which gives it its spicy, mouth-numbing heat). 

Why You'll Love This Recipe

  • Authentic Sichuan flavors at home
  • Ready in under 30 minutes
  • Fully customizable heat level (but we say, the more the merrier) 
  • Made with ingredients available at Sichuan Shop NL

Make Your Own Dan Dan Noodles

Ready to bring a piece of Sichuan street food history into your kitchen? Download our step-by-step recipe or read below and get everything you need, from Sichuan peppercorn powder to sui mi ya cai, straight from our shop.

Note: Our shop doesn’t stock Sichuan peppercorn powder, but you can buy the peppercorns and grind them into powder. 

Dan Dan Noodles Recipe Serves 6 | Adapted from The Woks of Life

Ingredients

For the meat topping:

  • 3 tsp oil
  • 225g ground pork
  • 2 tsp sweet bean sauce (or hoisin sauce)
  • 10ml Shaoxing wine
  • 5ml dark soy sauce
  • ½ tsp five spice powder
  • 80g sui mi ya cai (preserved mustard greens)

For the sauce:

  • 30g sesame paste (tahini)
  • 45ml soy sauce
  • 2 tsp sugar
  • ¼ tsp five spice powder
  • ½ tsp Sichuan peppercorn powder
  • 120ml prepared chili oil
  • 2 garlic cloves, finely minced
  • 60ml hot noodle cooking water

For assembly:

  • 450g fresh wheat noodles
  • 1 small bunch leafy greens (spinach, bok choy, or choy sum)
  • Chopped peanuts (optional)
  • Chopped scallions (optional)

Instructions

Prepare the meat topping

  1. Heat oil in a wok or pan over medium heat. Add the ground pork and cook until browned.
  2. Stir in sweet bean sauce, Shaoxing wine, dark soy sauce, and five-spice powder. Cook for another 2 minutes.
  3. Add sui mi ya cai and cook for an additional minute. Remove from heat and set aside.

Prepare the sauce

  1. In a bowl, mix sesame paste, soy sauce, sugar, five-spice powder, Sichuan peppercorn powder, prepared chili oil, and minced garlic.
  2. Add hot noodle cooking water and stir until smooth to loosen the sauce.

Cook the noodles and vegetables

  1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
  2. Add the fresh wheat noodles and cook according to package instructions until al dente.
  3. During the last minute of cooking, add the leafy greens to heat through.

Assemble the dish

  1. Divide the sauce evenly among serving bowls.
  2. Add a portion of noodles and greens to each bowl, then top with the meat mixture.
  3. Sprinkle with chopped scallions and crushed roasted peanuts if desired.
  4. Toss everything together before eating to ensure the noodles are well coated with the sauce.

Tip: Adjust the amount of chili oil to control the heat level. Start with less if you're sensitive to spice.





 

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