How to Make Dan Dan Noodles
Easy recipe for delicious dan dan noodles with ground pork.
Ingredients
Noodles
- 12 ounces fresh Asian wheat noodles (or 8 ounces dried noodles; can substitute rice noodles)
Sauce
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground Szechuan peppercorns (can substitute 1 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes)
- 6 tablespoons Szechuan red chili oil (see note below for making a substitution)
- 4 ½ tablespoons soy sauce
- 4 ½ tablespoons Chinese black vinegar (can substitute rice wine vinegar)
- 3 tablespoons Shaoxing rice wine (can substitute dry sherry or marsala)
- 3 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
- 4 ½ tablespoons granulated sugar
- ½ cup low-sodium chicken stock (or broth)
Ground Pork
- 1 large shallot, peeled
- 7 cloves garlic
- 2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled (or use 2 teaspoons minced ginger from a jar)
- 1 tablespoon peanut oil
- 8 ounces ground pork
- 4 green onions, thinly sliced (use white and light green parts, save the dark green tops for garnish)
- 2 tablespoons chopped peanuts for garnish (optional)
Instructions
Noodles
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the noodles and cook until tender, about 7-9 minutes; drain. Toss with a small amount of cooking oil to keep them from sticking together. Set aside.
Sauce
- Grind the peppercorns in a coffee grinder or food prep chopper. Or place them into a plastic sandwich bag and pound them with a meat mallet.
- Add the ground peppercorns, chile oil, soy sauce, black vinegar, Shaoxing, peanut butter, sugar, and broth to a medium-sized bowl. Blend with an immersion blender or whisk until smooth and the peanut butter is broken up; set aside.
Ground Pork
- Place the shallot, garlic, and ginger into a mini electric chopper and chop. (Or you can do this by hand.)
- Heat peanut oil in a large wok over high heat. Add the pork and chop it to break it apart. Cook until it is brown (5-10 minutes) and continue chopping to break it into smaller pieces.
- Add the shallot, garlic, and ginger; cook just until wilted and the garlic is fragrant. Add the green onions and cook 20-30 seconds more.
- Whisk the chili oil mixture to refresh it. Then add it to the browned pork and stir. Cook for 1-2 minutes to heat the sauce. It will thicken slightly.
- Add the drained noodles. Toss until they are coated with the sauce. Add extra salt if needed. Garnish with the leftover sliced dark green onion tops. If desired, sprinkle with chopped peanuts. Serve immediately.
Notes
Asian Noodles
You can substitute spaghetti, linguine, or another noodle for Asian wheat noodles. You can also use rice noodles in place of wheat noodles.Szechuan Red Chili Oil Substitution
If you don't have red chili oil, you can make it. Add 6 tablespoons of oil (canola, vegetable, peanut, or light-colored olive) to a small saucepan. Add 1 tablespoon of crushed red pepper flakes and 1/8 teaspoon of ground cayenne. Heat the oil to 250 degrees to infuse it with red pepper flavor. Strain the oil through a fine mesh strainer if desired. For hotter chili oil, use Szechuan peppercorns instead of red pepper flakes.Gluten-Free
Make this dish gluten-free by making the following substitutions:- Use gluten-free pasta for the wheat noodles.
- Use gluten-free tamari for soy sauce.
- Use rice wine vinegar instead of black vinegar.
- Use dry sherry instead of Shaoxing wine.
- Use gluten-free peanut butter.
- Use gluten-free stock or broth.
Reheating
Reheat noodles in a pan. If needed, add a splash of chicken stock to rehydrate them.Nutrition
Calories: 580kcalCarbohydrates: 58gProtein: 20gFat: 31gSaturated Fat: 7gPolyunsaturated Fat: 5gMonounsaturated Fat: 18gCholesterol: 27mgSodium: 824mgPotassium: 408mgFiber: 1gSugar: 11gVitamin A: 83IUVitamin C: 3mgCalcium: 55mgIron: 3mg
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