{"id":"63e2ebe1-f1c4-4f80-a5e5-b0929f2ca643","url":"https://recipestripper.com/recipes/63e2ebe1-f1c4-4f80-a5e5-b0929f2ca643","source_url":"https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1027503-dan-dan-noodles","title":"Dan Dan Noodles","description":"A specialty from Sichuan, a province in the southwest of China, vendors once balanced baskets of noodles and sauce on their shoulder poles and cried out “dan dan mian!” to hawk their wares. Dan dan refers to those bamboo shoulder poles and mian means noodles, but there’s no one way to prepare them. Nowadays in the Western diaspora, the dish is associated with a few essentials, namely chile oil and sesame paste, but another is worth adding: preserved vegetables. Salty and a little sweet with the sour oomph of fermentation, pickled mustard greens give the soothing noodles an umami zing. These noodles are especially rich with sesame, but you can adjust all of the seasonings to your taste. Toasty and salty, tangy on the cliff of funk, chewy with pops of peanut, dan dan noodles are a bowl of contentment.","servings":4,"servings_text":"4 to 6 servings","prep_time":"PT10M","cook_time":"PT20M","total_time":"PT30M","ingredients":[{"text":"¼ cup well-stirred Chinese sesame paste or tahini (see Tips)","item":"well-stirred Chinese sesame paste or tahini","quantity":0.25,"unit":"cup","preparation":"see Tips"},{"text":"2 tablespoons soy sauce","item":"soy sauce","quantity":2,"unit":"tbsp"},{"text":"1 tablespoon sesame oil","item":"sesame oil","quantity":1,"unit":"tbsp"},{"text":"1 to 2 tablespoons chile crisp, preferably Sichuanese, plus more for serving","item":"chile crisp, preferably Sichuanese","quantity":1,"quantity_max":2,"unit":"tbsp","preparation":"plus more for serving"},{"text":"2 to 3 teaspoons brown sugar","item":"brown sugar","quantity":2,"quantity_max":3,"unit":"tsp"},{"text":"½ teaspoon Chinkiang vinegar or balsamic vinegar","item":"Chinkiang vinegar or balsamic vinegar","quantity":0.5,"unit":"tsp"},{"text":"2 tablespoons vegetable oil","item":"vegetable oil","quantity":2,"unit":"tbsp"},{"text":"½ cup ya cai (Sichuan preserved mustard greens) or other finely chopped Chinese pickled or preserved mustard vegetables (see Tips)","item":"ya cai (Sichuan preserved mustard greens) or other finely chopped Chinese pickled or preserved mustard vegetables","quantity":0.5,"unit":"cup","preparation":"see Tips"},{"text":"1 large garlic clove, finely chopped","item":"large garlic clove","quantity":1,"preparation":"finely chopped"},{"text":"8 ounces ground pork","item":"ground pork","quantity":8,"unit":"oz"},{"text":"1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine or other rice wine","item":"Shaoxing wine or other rice wine","quantity":1,"unit":"tbsp"},{"text":"1 tablespoon soy sauce","item":"soy sauce","quantity":1,"unit":"tbsp"},{"text":"2 teaspoons tian mian jiang (sweet wheat sauce) or hoisin","item":"tian mian jiang (sweet wheat sauce) or hoisin","quantity":2,"unit":"tsp"},{"text":"1 pound fresh Chinese wheat noodles (see Tips)","item":"fresh Chinese wheat noodles","quantity":1,"unit":"lb","preparation":"see Tips"},{"text":"8 to 12 bok choy or gai lan (Chinese broccoli), optional","item":"bok choy or gai lan (Chinese broccoli)","quantity":8,"quantity_max":12,"preparation":"optional"},{"text":"Chopped roasted, salted peanuts, ground Sichuan peppercorns and finely sliced scallions, for topping","item":"Chopped roasted, salted peanuts, ground Sichuan peppercorns and finely sliced scallions, for topping"}],"instructions":[{"number":1,"text":"Start the sauce: Set a large pot of water to a boil. Meanwhile, mix the sesame paste, soy sauce, sesame oil, chile crisp, brown sugar and vinegar in a large bowl. The mixture will be thick. Taste and add more chile oil or brown sugar (or other seasonings) to your liking."},{"number":2,"text":"Make the meat: Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a wok or large, deep skillet over high. Add the ya cai and cook, stirring, until softened and fragrant, about 1 minute. Scrape half into the sauce bowl. Add the remaining oil to the wok. When it’s hot, add the garlic and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the pork and cook, smashing it into the vegetables and stirring to break it into tiny bits. When its pinkness fades after a few minutes, add the wine, soy sauce and tian mian jiang, and stir until the pork is cooked through. Keep warm over low."},{"number":3,"text":"Finish the sauce: Scoop ¼ cup boiling water from the pot and add to the sauce. Stir until smooth. The sauce should run off the spoon. If it doesn’t, add more boiling water a tablespoon at a time."},{"number":4,"text":"Make the noodles: Drop the noodles into the pot of boiling water, stir and cook until there’s still a bite in the center, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the bok choy and cook until bright green and the noodles are just tender, about 1 minute longer. Drain and run under hot tap water to rinse excess starch off the noodles."},{"number":5,"text":"Slide the noodles and bok choy over the sauce, scrape the pork and its sauce on top, then sprinkle with peanuts and scallions if you want. Top with more chile crisp if you’d like. Mix well and enjoy immediately."}],"date_published":"2026-10-31T02:00:28.92118+00:00","date_modified":"2026-10-31T02:00:28.92118+00:00"}