How to Cook Dan Dan Noodles

Serves: 2

Preparation time: 5 mins

Cooking time: 30 mins

Ingredients needed to make Dan Dan Noodles:

• 8 oz Chinese wheat noodles
• 6 oz white button mushrooms, quartered
• 2 medium garlic cloves, finely minced
• 3 tbsp Sichuan mustard root, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp fermented chili bean paste
• 2 tsp chinkiang or Chinese black vinegar
• 2 tbsp shaoxing wine
• 3 tsp light soy sauce
• 1 tbsp tahini paste
• 4 tbsp roasted chili oil
• 2 tsp sugar
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• Kosher salt to taste

For serving:

• Scallions, finely sliced
• Fresh cilantro leaves, finely chopped

Cooking instructions for Dan Dan Noodles:

• Dump the mushrooms into a food processor and pulse them 6 times briskly to chop them into ½’’ chunks.
• Tip them into a small skillet and drizzle vegetable oil over it.
• Toss it together to coat well with the oil and sauté for about 8 minutes, stirring at times, until it dry up and turn golden brown.
• Drain it out using a slotted spoon, into a small bowl and skim off the oil, leaving only a tbsp of it in the skillet.
• Whisk the vinegar, soy sauce, chili oil, tahini as well as chili bean paste and sugar until well combined and the latter dissolves completely.
• Pour a quart of water into a medium soup pot and stir in a dash of salt.
• Bring it to a boil and drop in the noodles.
• Cook them for about 4 minutes,  while stirring often, until they are just cooked and appear a tad chewy; drain them out into a colander and set ¾ of its cooking liquid aside.
• Pour the reserved mushroom oil into a wok and reheat until it sizzles.
• Throw in the chopped mustard root, garlic as well as the sautéed mushrooms and stir them all together to mix well.
• Stir fry briefly for half a minute, tossing them continuously, until the mixture turns fragrant and stir in a splash of shaoxing wine.
• Tip it into the bowl with sauce mixture, along with the reserved noodle cooking liquid.
• Toss them all together until well coated with the sauce mixture.
• Pile the noodles in serving bowls and top it up with the above mixture.
• Drizzle any leftover sauce over each serving and top it up with the chopped cilantro and scallions.
• Serve warm.

 Image credit: Wikimedia Commons

Last Updated on February 27, 2013 by