Description
Dan Dan Noodles (Dan Dan Mian) is a classic Sichuan street food dish featuring savory ground pork cooked with aromatic spices and preserved mustard greens, served over tender noodles with a rich, spicy sesame sauce. This vibrant recipe balances the nutty depth of sesame paste, the heat of chili oil, and the complex flavors of soy, vinegar, and five-spice, garnished with roasted peanuts and fresh green onion for a delightful texture contrast.
Ingredients
Scale
For the Pork Mixture
- 2 tablespoons peanut oil
- 1 pound ground pork
- 1 tablespoon ginger, minced
- 2 green onion stalks, minced
- 4 teaspoons sweet bean sauce (or hoisin sauce)
- 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
- 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1/3 cup Sui Mi Ya Cai (Sichuan preserved mustard greens)
For the Sauce
- 1/3 cup sesame paste or tahini
- 1/3 cup light soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons Chinkiang vinegar
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon five spice powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Sichuan peppercorns, ground
- 5 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 3 tablespoons chili oil with chili flakes
- 1/4 cup warm noodle water (reserved)
Other Ingredients
- 1 pound fresh or dried white noodles, medium thick
- 1 small bunch leafy greens (spinach or bok choy)
- Chopped roasted peanuts (for garnish)
- Chopped green onion (for garnish)
Instructions
- Cook the Pork: Heat 2 tablespoons of peanut oil in a skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add the ground pork and cook until browned, breaking it apart as it cooks. Stir in minced ginger, green onion, sweet bean sauce, Shaoxing wine, dark soy sauce, sugar, and Sui Mi Ya Cai (Sichuan preserved mustard greens). Continue to cook and stir until most of the liquid evaporates and the mixture becomes fragrant.
- Prepare Noodles and Greens: Bring a large pot of water to boil. Cook the noodles according to package instructions until al dente. Simultaneously, blanch the leafy greens in boiling water until just tender, then remove. Reserve about 1/4 cup of the hot noodle cooking water before draining the noodles.
- Make the Dan Dan Sauce: In a mixing bowl, whisk together sesame paste, light soy sauce, Chinkiang vinegar, honey, sugar, five spice powder, ground Sichuan peppercorns, minced garlic, and chili oil. Thin the sauce by gradually adding the reserved warm noodle water until you reach the desired consistency for coating noodles.
- Assemble the Dish: Divide the cooked noodles among serving bowls. Top with the prepared pork mixture and blanched greens. Pour the Dan Dan sauce over the top and gently toss to combine. Garnish with chopped roasted peanuts and chopped green onion. Add additional chili oil if more heat is desired. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Sichuan preserved mustard greens (Sui Mi Ya Cai) add an authentic depth, but can be substituted with finely chopped pickled mustard greens or omitted if unavailable.
- Adjust the chili oil according to your spice tolerance.
- Using fresh noodles offers a better texture, but dried noodles work well if fresh are unavailable.
- Shaoxing wine can be substituted with dry sherry or a mild Chinese cooking wine.
- For a vegetarian version, replace pork with crumbled tofu or mushrooms and substitute the sweet bean sauce with a vegetarian hoisin sauce.
