Dan Dan Noodles | Guest Recipes | Nigella's Recipes (2024)

In the short time I spent in Chengdu, I found that dan dan miàn are to Sichuan what the hamburger is to the United States: they’re ubiquitous, there are certain expectations, but there are no hard and fast rules other than the basic ingredients (noodles, chile oil, pickled Sichuan vegetables, Sichuan peppercorns, and vinegar) and the manner in which they’re served (fast and cheap). They get their name from dan, a heavy stick carried over the shoulders onto which noodle vendors would balance two loads, the noodles on one side and the toppings on the other. Known as “peddler’s noodles,” they are the prototypical street food and, according to Hong Kong–based food writer Man Wei Leung, have been enjoyed as a quick, inexpensive meal on the streets of Chengdu and Chongqing continuously since 1841.

Beyond that they can be soupy or dry. They may or may not have sesame seeds or peanuts. They might have greens or bean sprouts boiled together with the noodles or not. Sometimes they have a dollop of creamy roasted sesame paste. Oftentimes they are sprinkled with a shower of fatty stir-fried minced pork. Sometimes they have raw garlic or even a sprinkle of sugar on top. In other words, get the chile oil and Sichuan peppercorn bit right and the rest is really up to you.

I know a lot of writers will tell you that it’s impossible to make great dan dan noodles with store-bought chile oil, and that may be true, but it’s definitely possible to make really really good dan dan noodles with store-bought chile oil. My favorite is Mom’s Málà, though I’ve also had good luck playing chile oil roulette in the Sichuan section of the Chinese supermarket. Lao Gan Ma Spicy Chile Crisp, with its heavy addition of fried shallots and soybeans, has a different flavor profile from a classic Sichuan málà chile oil, but it’s still delicious in a bowl of dan dan noodles, as are a number of high-quality competitors that have sprung up on the market (such as Fly by Jing’s Sichuan Chili Crisp or David Chang’s Chili Crunch).

The only other ingredient that can truly elevate a bowl of dan dan noodles is sui mi ya cai, which are salty-savory semidry preserved mustard greens that come from Yibin, in southeastern Sichuan. It’s hard stuff to find at the supermarket, where you are more likely to find its cousin zha cai, preserved mustard root. You can use zha cai in place of ya cai, but it doesn’t have quite the same umami punch. I order my Yibin sui mi ya cai from a company called Yibin Sui Mi Yacai Co., which is sold through themalamarket.com (or Amazon) and comes delivered in small foil pouches that last indefinitely until you open them. I stir-fry the ya cai together with fatty ground pork, cooking it until it’s completely dry to really concentrate its punchy flavor.

In the short time I spent in Chengdu, I found that dan dan miàn are to Sichuan what the hamburger is to the United States: they’re ubiquitous, there are certain expectations, but there are no hard and fast rules other than the basic ingredients (noodles, chile oil, pickled Sichuan vegetables, Sichuan peppercorns, and vinegar) and the manner in which they’re served (fast and cheap). They get their name from dan, a heavy stick carried over the shoulders onto which noodle vendors would balance two loads, the noodles on one side and the toppings on the other. Known as “peddler’s noodles,” they are the prototypical street food and, according to Hong Kong–based food writer Man Wei Leung, have been enjoyed as a quick, inexpensive meal on the streets of Chengdu and Chongqing continuously since 1841.

Beyond that they can be soupy or dry. They may or may not have sesame seeds or peanuts. They might have greens or bean sprouts boiled together with the noodles or not. Sometimes they have a dollop of creamy roasted sesame paste. Oftentimes they are sprinkled with a shower of fatty stir-fried minced pork. Sometimes they have raw garlic or even a sprinkle of sugar on top. In other words, get the chile oil and Sichuan peppercorn bit right and the rest is really up to you.

I know a lot of writers will tell you that it’s impossible to make great dan dan noodles with store-bought chile oil, and that may be true, but it’s definitely possible to make really really good dan dan noodles with store-bought chile oil. My favorite is Mom’s Málà, though I’ve also had good luck playing chile oil roulette in the Sichuan section of the Chinese supermarket. Lao Gan Ma Spicy Chile Crisp, with its heavy addition of fried shallots and soybeans, has a different flavor profile from a classic Sichuan málà chile oil, but it’s still delicious in a bowl of dan dan noodles, as are a number of high-quality competitors that have sprung up on the market (such as Fly by Jing’s Sichuan Chili Crisp or David Chang’s Chili Crunch).

The only other ingredient that can truly elevate a bowl of dan dan noodles is sui mi ya cai, which are salty-savory semidry preserved mustard greens that come from Yibin, in southeastern Sichuan. It’s hard stuff to find at the supermarket, where you are more likely to find its cousin zha cai, preserved mustard root. You can use zha cai in place of ya cai, but it doesn’t have quite the same umami punch. I order my Yibin sui mi ya cai from a company called Yibin Sui Mi Yacai Co., which is sold through themalamarket.com (or Amazon) and comes delivered in small foil pouches that last indefinitely until you open them. I stir-fry the ya cai together with fatty ground pork, cooking it until it’s completely dry to really concentrate its punchy flavor.

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  The Wok: Recipes and Techniques

1. Toast the Sichuan peppercorns in a dry wok over high heat until fragrant, about 1 minute. Transfer to a mortar and pestle or spice grinder and grind into a fine powder. Set aside.
2. For the Sauce: Combine the sesame paste and water in a medium bowl and stir until completely smooth. Add the soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, chile oil, garlic, and half of the ground Sichuan peppercorns and stir until hom*ogenous and the sugar is dissolved. Divide the sauce evenly among 4 individual bowls or pour it into one large serving bowl to share.
3. For the Pork: Heat a wok over high heat until lightly smoking. Add 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of the oil and swirl to coat. Add the pork and cook, stirring and tossing and using a spatula to break up the pork until it is no longer pink, about 1 minute. Add the preserved mustard root and cook, stirring and tossing until all excess moisture has evaporated and the mixture starts to stick to the wok, about 1 minute longer. Add a big pinch of the ground Sichuan peppercorns and toss to combine. Swirl in the wine and soy sauce around the edges of the wok and continue to cook, stirring and tossing, until the wine and soy sauce have completely evaporated. Transfer the pork mixture to a small bowl.
4. To Serve: Bring 3 quarts of lightly salted water to a boil in the wok or in a large pot over high heat. When the water is boiling, add the noodles, greens, and bean sprouts (if using) and cook according to the noodle package directions until barely cooked through, just a couple minutes.
5. Drain the noodles, reserving some of the cooking liquid, and divide evenly among the individual bowls or transfer them to the serving bowl. Add a few tablespoons of the cooking liquid to each bowl. Spoon the pork mixture on top. Sprinkle with the remaining ground Sichuan peppercorns and the sliced spring onions. Serve immediately.

1. Toast the Sichuan peppercorns in a dry wok over high heat until fragrant, about 1 minute. Transfer to a mortar and pestle or spice grinder and grind into a fine powder. Set aside.
2. For the Sauce: Combine the sesame paste and water in a medium bowl and stir until completely smooth. Add the soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, chile oil, garlic, and half of the ground Sichuan peppercorns and stir until hom*ogenous and the sugar is dissolved. Divide the sauce evenly among 4 individual bowls or pour it into one large serving bowl to share.
3. For the Pork: Heat a wok over high heat until lightly smoking. Add 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of the oil and swirl to coat. Add the pork and cook, stirring and tossing and using a spatula to break up the pork until it is no longer pink, about 1 minute. Add the preserved mustard root and cook, stirring and tossing until all excess moisture has evaporated and the mixture starts to stick to the wok, about 1 minute longer. Add a big pinch of the ground Sichuan peppercorns and toss to combine. Swirl in the wine and soy sauce around the edges of the wok and continue to cook, stirring and tossing, until the wine and soy sauce have completely evaporated. Transfer the pork mixture to a small bowl.
4. To Serve: Bring 3 quarts of lightly salted water to a boil in the wok or in a large pot over high heat. When the water is boiling, add the noodles, greens, and bean sprouts (if using) and cook according to the noodle package directions until barely cooked through, just a couple minutes.
5. Drain the noodles, reserving some of the cooking liquid, and divide evenly among the individual bowls or transfer them to the serving bowl. Add a few tablespoons of the cooking liquid to each bowl. Spoon the pork mixture on top. Sprinkle with the remaining ground Sichuan peppercorns and the sliced scallions. Serve immediately.