Dan Dan Noodles (担担面)

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup Chinese sesame paste ((or unsweetened natural peanut butter))
• 1/3 cup light soy sauce ((or soy sauce))
• 1/4 cup Chinkiang vinegar
• 4 cloves garlic (, finely minced)
• 2 green onion (, finely minced)
• 2 tablespoons honey ((or agave syrup))
• 1/2 to 1 teaspoon Sichuan peppercorns (, toasted and ground (*footnote 2))
• 1 tablespoon peanut oil ((or vegetable oil))
• 1 lb ground pork ((*Footnote 3))
• 1 tablespoon minced ginger
• 2 green onions (, chopped)
• 1 1/2 tablespoons fermented black beans (, rinsed and chopped)
• 1/2 cup Sui Mi Ya Cai ((Sichuan preserved mustard greens))
• 2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine ((or dry sherry))
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1/3 cup roasted peanuts (, crushed)
• 14 oz Dan Dan noodles ((or thin wheat noodles))
• 1 small batch leafy green vegetables (, roughly chopped (spinach, choy sum, baby bok choy etc.))
• Homemade chili oil (, to taste (*footnote 1))

Steps

1. 1

   Whisk the sesame paste and light soy sauce together in a bowl until fully incorporated. Add the Chinkiang vinegar. Continue stirring until mixed. Then mix in the garlic, green onion, honey, and Sichuan peppercorns.

2. 2

   Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add the pork. Cook and stir until the surface is lightly browned.

3. 3

   Turn to medium heat. Add the ginger, green onion, fermented black beans, Sui Mi Ya Cai, cooking wine, and sugar. Cook and chop the pork into small pieces, until all the liquid has evaporated and the pork turns a dark brown color. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.

4. 4

   Cook the noodles according to instructions. Once done, transfer the noodles to a colander, rinse with cold running tap water to stop cooking, then drain again and set aside.

5. 5

   In the same pot, briefly blanch the leafy green vegetables, drain, and set aside.

6. 6

   For each noodle bowl, add 1/4 cup of noodle sauce to each individual serving bowl. Add the chili oil with some flakes according to your taste, from 2 to 4 tablespoons to mimic the restaurant result, or less if you prefer the dish is less spicy. Add some noodles, then top with a few spoonfuls of the cooked pork and green veggies. Garnish with peanut crumbles and chopped green onion. Sprinkle with a pinch of toasted ground Sichuan peppercorn, if you like the numbing taste. Serve at room temperature.