Here’s a recipe for a quick and satisfying bowl of Dan Dan Mian. The process is super straightforward, and there's only a few ingredients you need to make it happen. I put a shopping list in the video, so be sure to save this one.
Prep Time | Cook Time | Serves |
10 minutes | 10 minutes | 2 people |
Sauce (2 Servings)
2-3 tbsp chili oil (store-bought or homemade)
2 tbsp black vinegar
2 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp tahini
1 tbsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp sugar
MSG
Scallion whites
Water as needed
Crispy Fried Pork
1 tsp lard
1/2 lb ground pork
1 garlic clove
1 tbsp shaoxing wine
2 bunches Chengdu Noodles
Toppings
1 tsp suimi yacai (pickled mustard greens)
Crunchy peanuts
Sliced green onion greens
Steamed bok choy or spinach
1 tsp Sichuan peppercorns: toasted, ground, and sifted
Step 1: Make Pork Topping
In a hot pan, begin melting a tablespoon of lard (or this could be vegetable oil). Once hot, add the ground pork and season with a hefty pinch of salt. Break this down with a spoon and cook until just starting to brown. Add 1 clove of grated garlic so that can cook into the pork while it starts to brown. Once the pork is deeply browned turn off the heat and add in about 1 tbsp of shaoxing wine. The pan should have enough heat to cook off the alcohol, but the sweet fragrance of the wine should stick around. Let these rest and hang out while you make the sauce.
Step 2: Make Sauce
Mix together 2-3 tbsp chili oil, 2 tbsp of black vinegar, 2 tbsp of light soy, a large heaping tablespoon of tahini, and a tbsp of toasted sesame oil. To balance some of the heat, add 1/2 tsp of sugar. Season with msg. Add finely chopped green onion whites and a splash of water to thin out the sauce. Split your sauce between two bowls. The noodles will go on top of the sauce and then you'll combine them in each bowl.
Step 3: Cook Noodles and Combine
Bring a pot of water to boil. Once boiling, drop your noodles in the boiling water, enough for 2 servings, and cook these to the time suggested on the package. For my fresh noodles, that’s a little less than 5 minutes. Be sure to mix this up with tongs while they cook so they don’t stick together. Once the timer goes off, drain the noodles and immediately add them to the sauce. Top the noodles with half of the pork sprinkles, a tablespoon or two of ya cai. The baby bok choy can go on along with the sliced scallion greens. Sprinkle on a little of the ground peppercorns and peanuts then give this a good mix. Feel free to add a little extra water if the sauce isn't mixing well. For how delicious these noodles are, you’d expect there to be way more work involved. This is one of those dishes where the deliciousness to work ratio is off the charts.
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