Dan Dan Noodles Recipes

Steps:

• Fill a large pot with lightly salted water and bring to a rapid boil. Cook egg noodles at a boil until tender yet firm to the bite, 7 to 9 minutes. Drain in a colander over a bowl, reserving 3/4 cup cooking liquid. Place noodles in a large bowl.
• Heat oil in a large wok over medium-high heat. Add peanuts to pan; saute until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat; cool slightly. Combine peanuts, soy sauce, sambal oelek, sugar, garlic, and ginger in a mini food chopper; process until finely ground.
• Cook pork and salt in a wok over medium-high heat until no longer pink, stirring to crumble, about 8 minutes. Add peanut mixture and 3/4 cup cooking liquid to pork; bring to a boil. Cook for 1 minute, stirring frequently. Add pork mixture, cucumber, green onions, cilantro, and lime juice to noodles; toss well. Serve.

Steps:

• For the crushed chili oil: Scorch the spices in the oil by heating the oil to smoking, then adding the Sichuan peppercorns, star anise, cinnamon, ginger and scallions. Cook until burned black, then remove with a slotted spoon. Add the crushed red pepper to the oil and stir until aromatic. Let cool to room temperature before storing in an airtight container.
• For the noodles: Cook the noodles in salted boiling water until al dente. Drain and reserve the cooking liquid.
• For the meat sauce: Coat a large, hot wok with oil, then add the ground pork. Cook, stirring, until medium-rare; remove from the wok and reserve.
• Swirl some more oil into the wok and add the garlic, chili bean sauce and 1 cup Chinese Chiu Chow Crushed Chili Oil. Cook until aromatic. Add back the pork and stir to combine. Season with Shaoxing wine, chicken base, hoisin and some black vinegar, and continue to cook until the meat is fully cooked and the wok has an aroma.
• Season with Sichuan chili oil, black pepper, soy sauce, sesame oil, and some of the noodle cooking liquid.
• For the peanut sauce: In a medium-hot wok, add the stock, peanut butter and vinegar, and mix until smooth. Taste and add more of each as desired.
• To finish: Dress the noodles with the peanut sauce and divide among 10 to 12 plates. Top with the meat sauce and garnish with the peanuts, sesame seeds and scallions. Serve immediately.

Steps:

• For the chile oil: Heat the oil, Sichuan peppercorns, cinnamon stick and star anise in a small pot over medium-low heat until it reaches 325 degrees F, then remove from the heat and let sit for 5 minutes. Remove the peppercorns, cinnamon stick, and star anise with a slotted spoon and discard, then stir in the crushed red pepper flakes. Set the oil aside to cool.
• For the sauce: Whisk together the soy sauce, sesame paste, sugar, five-spice powder, Sichuan peppercorns, garlic and 1/4 cup of the chile oil in a medium bowl. Whisk in 1/3 cup hot water and set aside.
• For the noodles: Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook the noodles according to the package directions, adding the bok choy, if using, for the last minute of cooking time. Drain in a colander and rinse well under cold running water to stop the cooking process. Toss the noodles with 1 teaspoon of the reserved chile oil and set aside.
• Heat 3 tablespoons vegetable or peanut oil in a seasoned wok over high heat until shimmering. Add the pork and cook, stirring and breaking it up with a spoon, until it is browned, about 5 minutes. Add the Shaoxing wine, hoisin sauce and dark soy sauce and cook until all the liquid is evaporated and the pork is crispy, about 3 minutes. Add the sui mi ya cai, if using, and cook until it starts to sizzle, about 2 minutes. (Otherwise, remove from the heat after the pork is crispy.) Remove from the heat and add the reserved noodles and sauce to the wok, tossing well to coat. Place in a serving bowl, top with scallions and serve immediately.

Steps:

• Place the peanut butter, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil, black vinegar, and chili oil into the bowl of a mini-food processor. Process until the mixture is well combined and forms a paste, 1 to 2 minutes. With the processor running, gradually add the chicken broth and process until the sauce is creamy and well combined, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a large mixing bowl, cover, and set aside while you prepare the rest of the dish.
• Place 4 quarts water into a large pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Add the noodles and cook until al dente, 1 to 1 1/2 minutes. Drain thoroughly in a colander. Add the noodles to the bowl with the sauce and toss to combine. Serve topped with the peanuts and scallions.

Steps:

• Heat the neutral oil in a large skillet or wok over high heat. Add the pork, salt and pepper. Using a wooden spoon, break up the pork into smaller pieces and cook until browned and the pork is no longer pink, 5 to 6 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger and cook until fragrant, 1 minute. Deglaze with the cooking wine, scraping any brown bits from the bottom of the skillet. Reduce the heat to medium. Add the soy sauce. Stir to combine and cook until fragrant, 20 to 30 seconds. Add the bok choy, season with salt and cook until bright green, the leaves are wilted and the stems are tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Keep warm while you cook the noodles.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the noodles and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Remove the noodles with a spider or tongs and place directly into the bowl with the Peanut Sauce. Toss to combine, adding 1 tablespoon reserved pasta water at a time, as needed, to reach desired consistency.
• To assemble, plate the noodles. Top with the pork and bok choy mixture. Garnish with a drizzle of the Chile Oil and the chopped peanuts.
• In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the chile oil, peanut butter, soy sauce, rice vinegar, honey and a couple turns of black pepper until smooth. Set aside.
• Heat the oil and Sichuan peppercorns in a small saucepan over medium-low heat until the peppercorns start to sizzle and become fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. In a small jar, combine the red chile pepper powder and salt. When the oil is hot, pour over the red chile and allow to sit and steep for a few minutes. Set aside.

Steps:

• Make the noodles: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the noodles, stir and cook until al dente, 2 to 4 minutes. Drain, then rinse under cold water and transfer to a bowl. Drizzle with 1 teaspoon sesame oil and toss to coat.
• Heat a wok or large skillet over high heat until smoking and add the peanut oil. Add the ginger, chiles and garlic and stir-fry 30 seconds; add the ground beef and cook, breaking up the meat with a spatula, until browned, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Combine the tahini and the remaining 1 teaspoon sesame oil in a small bowl. Add the cornichons to the wok. Stir in the tahini mixture, soy sauce, rice wine, vinegar and ground peppercorns; cook until the beef begins to crisp, 2 to 3 more minutes. Season with white pepper and remove from the heat.
• Prepare the toppings: Bring the chicken broth to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Combine the chili oil, sesame oil, soy sauce, ground peppercorns and chiles in a small bowl.
• Divide the noodles among bowls and sprinkle the beef mixture evenly over each. Pour the hot broth over the noodles; top with the chili oil mixture, scallions and cilantro.

Steps:

• In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook noodles according to package instructions. Add greens 1 minute before the noodles are ready. Drain, rinse under cool water, and drain again. Divide noodles and greens between 2 bowls.
• Mix pork with five-spice powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Heat oil over high in a large skillet. Add pork in 1 layer and fry, breaking up pieces with a wooden spoon, until crisped and beginning to brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Add ginger, garlic, and scallions and cook until fragrant, 1 minute. Stir in wine, soy sauce, and tahini, scraping up any browned bits from bottom of pan. Add chicken stock. Cook until thickened slightly, about 4 minutes. Divide pork mixture evenly between the bowls. Drizzle generously with chili oil and sprinkle with peanuts and scallions. Mix thoroughly before eating.