Nutritional values are estimates per serving
The legendary Sichuan street noodle that leaves your lips tingling and your tastebuds begging for more. Crispy dry-fried pork, a deeply complex sesame and chilli sauce and that unmistakeable mala numbing heat. This is one of the great noodle dishes of the world.
A note from us
Dan Dan Noodles are traditionally served dry — the sauce clings to the noodles rather than pooling at the bottom like a soup. The mala flavour — mala meaning numbing and spicy in Mandarin — comes from the Sichuan peppercorns and is completely unique. Once you taste it you will understand why Sichuan cuisine is considered one of the world's great food cultures. Sui mi ya cai and doubanjiang are available from Asian supermarkets and are genuinely worth seeking out — they give a depth that substitutes cannot fully replicate, though the substitutes listed will still give an excellent result.
What you need 🛒
How to make it 👨🍳
Toast the Sichuan peppercorns in a dry pan over medium heat for 2 minutes until fragrant. Grind to a fine powder using a pestle and mortar or spice grinder. Set aside.
Make the sauce: whisk together the sesame paste, chilli oil, soy sauce, black rice vinegar, sesame oil, ground Sichuan peppercorn, minced garlic, grated ginger and sugar. Add the hot water gradually and whisk until smooth and pourable. Taste — it should be nutty, spicy, sour and deeply savoury all at once. Adjust to your preference.
Cook the pork: heat the vegetable oil in a wok or large pan over high heat. Add the pork mince and cook without stirring for 2 minutes until it starts to crisp and brown underneath. Break it up and continue cooking until the pork is deeply golden and very crispy — this takes 8-10 minutes total. Do not rush this step, the crispiness is everything.
Add the doubanjiang to the pork and stir fry for 1 minute until the red oil separates. Add the soy sauce and Shaoxing wine. Stir for 30 seconds.
Add the sui mi ya cai and stir fry for 2 more minutes until everything is combined and intensely fragrant. Remove from the heat.
Bring a large pot of water to the boil. Blanch the bok choy or spinach for 1 minute then remove and set aside. Cook the noodles in the same water until just al dente. Reserve a cup of noodle water before draining.
Divide the sauce between 4 bowls. Add a splash of hot noodle water to each bowl and mix — this loosens the sauce and warms the bowl.
Divide the noodles between the bowls and toss vigorously until every strand is coated in the sauce.
Top with the crispy pork mixture, blanched greens, sliced spring onions and crushed peanuts. Add an extra drizzle of chilli oil over the top.
Serve immediately — mix everything together at the table before eating. The sauce at the bottom, pork on top, everything comes together when tossed.
