Chinese · Lunch · Dinner
Dan Dan Noodles
担担面 (Dàndàn miàn)
Springy wheat noodles in a nutty, numbing chili-sesame sauce, topped with savoury crisp-fried lean pork and tender bok choy. A lighter take on the Sichuan street classic that keeps all its fire.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 20 min
- Total
- 35 min
- Serves
- 4
Calories come from: Carbs 46% · Fat 32% · Protein 22%
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Ingredients
For 4 servings- 300 gDried wheat noodles
- 300 gLean minced pork
- 1 tbsp14 gPeanut oil
- 3 cloves9 gGarlic, finely chopped
- 1 thumb-sized piece10 gFresh ginger, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp30 gPreserved mustard greens (sui mi ya cai) (optional)
- 1 tbsp15 gShaoxing rice wine
- 2 tbsp32 gReduced-sodium light soy sauce
- 1/2 tspDark soy sauce
- 2 tbsp30 gChinese sesame paste or tahini
- 2 tbsp26 gChili oil with sediment
- 1 tbsp15 gChinkiang black vinegar
- 1 tspGround Sichuan peppercorns, toasted
- 1 tspSugar
- 1/4 cup60 gHot noodle cooking water
- 4 heads400 gBaby bok choy, halved
- 230 gSpring onions, thinly sliced
- 2 tbsp20 gRoasted peanuts, chopped (optional)
Steps
- 1
Bring a large pot of water to the boil for the noodles and greens.
- 2
Heat the peanut oil in a wok or frying pan over medium-high heat.
- 3
Add the minced pork and fry, breaking it up, for 6-8 minutes until browned, slightly crisp and cooked through to 71 °C / 160 °F.
- 4
Stir in the garlic, ginger and preserved mustard greens (if using) and fry for 1 minute until fragrant.
- 5
Add the Shaoxing wine and dark soy sauce and cook for 1-2 minutes until absorbed, then set the pork aside.
- 6
In a bowl, whisk the light soy sauce, sesame paste, chili oil, black vinegar, ground Sichuan pepper and sugar.
- 7
Blanch the bok choy in the boiling water for 1-2 minutes until just tender, then lift out.
- 8
Cook the noodles in the same water according to the packet, about 4-5 minutes, until just tender.
- 9
Scoop out 1/4 cup of the hot cooking water and whisk it into the sauce until smooth, then drain the noodles.
- 10
Divide the sauce between 4 bowls and add the noodles and bok choy.
- 11
Top with the pork, spring onions and chopped peanuts (if using), then toss well before eating.
Swaps, storage and make-ahead
Swaps
- For a vegan version, replace the pork with finely chopped fried shiitake mushrooms or crumbled firm tofu, and check that your preserved mustard greens and chili oil contain no animal products.
- If you can't find Chinese sesame paste, tahini works well, or use smooth unsweetened peanut butter for a nuttier flavour.
- Swap the Shaoxing wine for dry sherry, or leave it out and add a splash of the noodle water instead.
- Use lean minced chicken or turkey instead of pork, cooking it to 74 °C / 165 °F.
Storage
Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours, keeping the pork, sauce and noodles in separate airtight containers, and use within 3 to 4 days; reheat the pork until steaming hot. The noodles and bok choy are best eaten fresh as they turn soft, so cook them just before serving.
Make ahead
Fry the pork topping and whisk the sauce (without the noodle water) up to 3 days ahead and keep both covered in the fridge. When ready to eat, reheat the pork until steaming hot, then cook the noodles and greens and loosen the sauce with hot cooking water.
Nutrition values are for the recipe as written.
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Allergens and nutrition
Contains: GlutenSoySesamePeanutsSulphitesMustard
Check the labels of packaged ingredients for allergens and suitability for your diet.
Full nutrition
| Per serving (313 g) | Per 100 g | |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 535 kcal | 171 kcal |
| Protein | 30.5 g | 9.7 g |
| Carbohydrates | 61.8 g | 19.7 g |
| of which sugars | 3.1 g | 1 g |
| Fiber | 3.5 g | 1.1 g |
| Fat | 18.9 g | 6 g |
| of which saturated | 5.1 g | 1.6 g |
| Sodium | 457 mg | 146 mg |
Nutrition is calculated from USDA FoodData Central data and may differ from what you cook.
