Best Café Chinas Dan Dan Noodles Recipes

DAN DAN NOODLES

Dan Dan Noodles image

A Dan Dan Noodles recipe that's tried, true, and authentic. With this recipe, you can try out this spicy, numbing Sichuan classic at home!

Provided by Judy

Time 1h30m

Number Of Ingredients 24

Ingredients

2 tablespoons Sichuan peppercorns
1 cinnamon stick
2 star anise
1 cup oil
1/4 cup crushed red pepper flakes
3 teaspoons oil
8 oz. ground pork ((225g))
2 teaspoons sweet bean sauce or hoisin sauce
2 teaspoons shaoxing wine
1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon five spice powder
1/3 cup sui mi ya cai
2 tablespoons sesame paste (tahini)
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon five spice powder
1/2 teaspoon Sichuan peppercorn powder ((we ground whole Sichuan peppercorns in a mortar and pestle))
1/2 cup of your prepared chili oil ((scary, but yes!))
2 cloves garlic ((very finely minced))
¼ cup hot cooking water from the noodles
1 pound fresh or dried white noodles ((450g, medium thickness))
1 small bunch leafy greens ((spinach, bok choy, or choy sum))
chopped peanuts
chopped scallion ((optional))

Steps:

To make the chili oil: In a small pot, add the Sichuan peppercorns, cinnamon stick, star anise, and oil. Over medium low heat, slowly heat to 325 degrees, and then turn off the heat. Wait 6 - 7 minutes, then remove the peppercorns, cinnamon stick, and star anise with a slotted spoon. Add the crushed red pepper flakes and allow them to steep in the hot oil. It should start smelling fragrant, almost like popcorn. Allow the oil to cool. This makes more chili oil than you'll need, but you'll be glad to have it on hand for use in other dishes. Store in a glass jar and keep refrigerated.
To make the meat mixture: In a wok, heat a teaspoon of oil over medium heat, and brown the ground pork. Add the sweet bean sauce, shaoxing wine, dark soy sauce, and five spice powder. Cook until all the liquid is evaporated. Set aside. Heat the other 2 teaspoons of oil in the wok over medium heat, and sautee the sui mi ya cai (pickled vegetables) for a few minutes. Set aside.
To make the sauce: Mix together all the sauce ingredients. Taste and adjust seasoning if you like. You can loosen it with more hot water, add more Sichuan peppercorn powder, etc.
To prepare the noodles and veggies: Cook the noodles according to package directions and drain. Blanch the greens in the noodle water, and drain.
Divide the sauce among six bowls (or four if you want larger servings), followed by the noodles and the leafy greens. Add the cooked pork and sui mi ya cai over the top. Sprinkle with chopped peanuts (optional) and scallions.
Mix everything together and enjoy!

Nutrition Facts : Calories 512 kcal, Carbohydrate 41 g, Protein 15 g, Fat 33 g, SaturatedFat 6 g, Cholesterol 27 mg, Sodium 936 mg, Fiber 3 g, Sugar 5 g, ServingSize 1 serving

CAFé CHINA'S DAN DAN NOODLES

Café China's Dan Dan Noodles image

Also known as dan dan mian, these noodles have regional variations - you're likely to find a peanut-laden, vegetarian version in Taiwan - but this recipe comes from Café China, a beloved Sichuan restaurant in New York City. Popularized in Chengdu, this dish takes its name from the Mandarin verb "dan," which refers to how vendors once carried the ingredients, hanging from bamboo poles balanced on their shoulders. The dish builds on a complex chile sauce that is more rich and robust than fiery. Though the ingredient list is lengthy, the process is clear-cut: Get the water boiling for your noodles while you prepare the sauce. Sauté the pork, seasoned with suimiyacai (preserved mustard greens), boil your noodles, and dinner is served.

Provided by Alexa Weibel

Categories dinner, quick, weeknight, meat, noodles, main course, side dish

Time 30m

Yield 4 servings

Number Of Ingredients 17

Ingredients

1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil
1 (2-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped (about 2 tablespoons)
3 whole star anise
4 teaspoons red-pepper flakes
2 teaspoons ground chile, such as cayenne
2 teaspoons fennel seeds
8 whole cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon canola or vegetable oil
3/4 pound ground pork
1/3 packed cup suimiyacai (Sichuan preserved mustard greens; see Tip)
2 tablespoons mushroom-flavored dark soy sauce (or regular soy sauce)
4 teaspoons Chinese sesame paste or tahini, whisked to combine
4 teaspoons Maggi seasoning, or use soy sauce
6 ounces snow pea shoots
16 ounces fresh Shanghai-style wheat noodles, or other fresh noodles
Thinly sliced scallion greens, for garnish

Steps:

Bring a large pot of water to boil for the noodles.
Prepare the chile oil: In a medium skillet, heat the 1/2 cup oil over high. Add the ginger, star anise, red-pepper flakes, ground chile, fennel seeds, cloves and cinnamon to a medium heatproof bowl. Once the oil is shimmering, about 3 to 5 minutes, pour it over the spices. (The mixture will bubble vigorously.) Set aside for 10 minutes. Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve, pressing to extract as much seasoned oil as possible. Makes 1/3 cup chile oil.
Prepare the pork: In a wok or nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon canola or vegetable oil over high. Add the pork and cook, breaking it up the pork and stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until browned and cooked through, about 4 minutes. Add the suimiyacai and stir quickly until just combined. Set aside. (The goal here is simply to integrate the mustard greens; there is no need to cook them.)
Once chile oil has cooled, whisk in the soy sauce, sesame paste and Maggi seasoning. Set out four individual serving bowls, and add 2 tablespoons of chile sauce to each.
Once the water boils, add the snow pea shoots to blanch just until wilted, about 1 minute, then use a slotted spoon to transfer them to a bowl. Add noodles to the boiling water and cook until just softened and tender, about 4 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water just to cool slightly.
Using tongs, divide the noodles and pea shoots among the bowls. (It's OK if the noodles are dripping some water; a little extra moisture is ideal so the noodles remain glossy but not sticky.) Top each with pork mixture, sprinkle with sliced scallions and serve immediately.
Mix the noodles to coat with chile sauce before eating, and serve with additional sauce at the table.