MY FAVORITE DAN DAN NOODLES

This home made chilly sauce makes any spicy dishes delicious.

Dan Dan noodles are my all time favorite Szechuan dish.  With the right ingredients ( yes, it’s a long list) you can make your own mouth-watering Dan Dan noodles at home. If you are vegetarian, simple skip the ground meat part. 

BON APPETIT!

Dan Dam noodles sauce ( 4 serving)

4 tbsp light soy sauce

2 tbsp black rice vinegar

1 tbsp freshly ground Sichuan pepper 

  (substitute with store bought Chinese pepper oil)

4 tbsp  home made Chinese Chili Oil       

(substitute with store bought red Chili Oil)

3 tbsp Chinese Sesame Paste (optional if you love creamy texture. Need to diluted with little water).

1tbsp Chinese preserved vegetable (optional)

1tsp sugar (optional if you are health conscious)

6 cloves of minced garlic

2 chopped green onion

First, seasoning ground meats ( pork, chicken or beef) in soy sauce and a tsp of ground ginger. Stir fry ground meat with 1tbsp of Shaoxing rice wine. Sprinkle with some red chili flake before removing from the wok. Set aside.

Boil the noodle as per the package instruction. Put cooked noodle in iced water. Use the remaining boil water boiling some leafy green ( spinach or bok choy) and put in the ice water too. This way the noodle will be chewy and the greens will be greener.

Drained the water from the noodle and greens and put them in a big container. Pour the sauce with ground meat and stir it until everything is well mixed. Sprinkle with green onion.

Tips:

Freshly ground Sichuan pepper and home made chili sauce are the key ingredients for a delicious Dan Dan noodle sauce.  I have a short vide showing how to make these two from scratch. You can make them in bulk and save in a tight container to use for different Szechuan dishes.  For the Dan Dan sauce you can also make extra and save in fridge for over a week. Just add fresh minced garlic when you use the sauce. 

Home made Sichuan Pepper powder

You can toast Sichuan pepper in a wok without any oil.  Use medium heat and stir it occasionally. Till the red color looks oily on the surface and the aroma arise, turn off the heat and let it cool.  Then use an electric grinder or mortar and pestle. 

Home made Chili Oil (see the video link or you can check the whole video on my instagram .

When you make your own chili oil, make sure use medium heat to heat up all the ingredients with oil.  Watch attentively. When the slice of green onion turns brown, turn off the heat . Use a sieve to get rid of all the ingredients and pour the hot oil in an empty bowl. Mix half of the chili flakes into the oil and wait a few seconds mix the remaining Chili flakes and white sesame seeds. Don’t over burn the oil so the color of the chili oil looks dark red.  The following ingredients are for the home made chili oil.  You can also use the store bought one. But trust me, this worths all your effort.  

 1  cup cooking oil

2 tsp roasted White Sesame seeds

1 tsp red Sichuan Pepper

2/1 cup chili flakes

2 pieces  Chinese black cardamom

2 pieces star anise

1 tsp fennel seeds

2 bay leaves

4 slices of ginger

3 stalks green onion