Dan Dan Noodles

[担担面]

Our version of this well-known Sichuan classic swaps the traditional fatty pork for mushrooms and courgettes, while retaining the sharp, salty flavours for which it is renowned.

Birthed on the streets of Zigong, China in 1841, the dish is said to have been invented by Chen Baobao, a local street hawker who roamed the city armed with a bamboo pole (dan), on the end of which sat baskets of handmade noodles, and a rich, spicy soup.

Over the years, as the dish traversed geographical borders, it evolved. In Chengdu, a city with which Dan Dan are now synonymous, hawkers cooked the soup and pork separately and added a variety of toppings such as bean sprouts and spring onions; whilst in the U.S today, a sweet, milder version prevails.

Serves 2-4

Time 35 mins

Ingredients

Sichuan Veg Topping

1 tbsp of Sichuan peppercorns

3 tbsps of toasted sesame oil

1 banana shallot, finely diced

2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

1 thumb of ginger, peeled & finely grated

1 red chilli, finely chopped

250g of mushrooms, coarsely grated

1 courgette, coarsely grated

3-4 tbsps of tamari

3 tbsps of chiu chow chilli oil

Noodle Sauce

4-5 tsps of light tahini (add a splash of water if it’s quite thick)

4 tsps of chiu chow chilli oil

4 tbsps of rice wine vinegar

4 tbsps of toasted sesame oil

4 tbsps of tamari

To Serve

250g egg noodles or vegan alternative

2 spring onions, finely chopped

Instructions

Put a large frying pan or wok over a medium heat for 1 minute. Add Sichuan pepper corns and toast for 2 minutes. Once you start to smell the pepper corns releasing their aromas, take off the heat and grind with a pestle and mortar into a coarse powder-like texture. Set aside for later.

Place the frying pan or wok back on the heat and add the sesame oil for 1 minute. Add the shallot and cook until soft and translucent. Next add the garlic, ginger and chilli and cook until fragrant, ensuring that they do not catch on the bottom of the pan.

Add the grated mushrooms and courgette to the pan (don't worry if there's a few larger chunks). Slowly stir the pan so the mixture is even, and then add the tamari, chiu chow chilli oil, and Sichuan pepper. Cook the mixture down for approx. 5-10 minutes on a medium-high heat, until all the liquid has evaporated, check the seasoning and set aside.

Cook the noodles to the instructions on the packet. Once cooked, drain and add a splash of toasted sesame oil to stop the noodles sticking together.

Mix all of the noodle sauce ingredients together and then slowly whisk in 4 tbsps of cold water. Divide the sauce equally across individual bowls. Add a portion of noodles to each bowl and carefully mix so that the sauce evenly coats them. Top with the Sichuan veg topping and finely sliced spring onion.

Poppy MistMay 19, 2020