Dan Dan Noodles
Chengdu street noodles: sesame paste, chili oil, ya cai, crisp pork.
Ingredients
- 400 g Wheat noodles
- 250 g Ground pork
- 40 g Sui mi ya cai
- 4 tbsp Chinese sesame paste
- 3 tbsp Light soy sauce
- 1 tsp Dark soy sauce
- 2 tbsp Chinkiang black vinegar
- 4 tbsp Chili oil
- 1 tsp Sichuan peppercorn
- 4 cloves Garlic
- 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
- 1 tbsp Peanut oil
- 1 tsp Sugar
- 10 g Salt
- 3 Scallions (optional)
Method
- Bring a pot of water to a boil. Salt lightly.
- Toast the Sichuan peppercorns dry in the wok 30 seconds. Grind to a coarse powder.
- Grate the garlic. Slice the scallions thin.
- Thin the sesame paste with a little warm water to a pourable cream.
- Divide the sauce between 4 bowls: garlic, soy, dark soy, black vinegar, sugar, sesame paste, chili oil, peppercorn.
- Heat the peanut oil in the wok. Fry the pork until crisp and brown, 4 minutes.
- Splash in the Shaoxing around the rim. Add the ya cai and stir until aromatic, 1 minute.
- Drop the noodles into the boiling water. Cook until just tender with a springy, firm bite.
- Ladle a spoonful of the noodle cooking water into each sauce bowl to loosen.
- Drain the noodles and divide between the bowls. Do not rinse.
- Spoon the crisp pork on top. The eater tosses everything just before slurping.
- Serve immediately.
Tap “Start cooking” for live timers that flag what to get ahead on while something simmers.
About Dan Dan Noodles
Dan dan noodles are a Chengdu street-food icon and one of the defining dishes of Sichuan cuisine, named for the carrying poles that hawkers once used to sell them. This version leans into the full complexity of the original: a sauce assembled bowl by bowl from garlic, two soy sauces, black Chinkiang vinegar, sugar, sesame paste, chili oil and ground Sichuan pepper, topped with pork crisped alongside preserved sui mi ya cai. Building the seasoning in each bowl before the noodles go in is the traditional approach, and it lets every serving be dressed to order.
What makes the dish sing is the interplay of ma la — the numbing tingle of Sichuan peppercorn against the heat of chili oil — laced through with the tang of black vinegar and the roundness of sesame paste. The pork, fried until crisp and deglazed with a splash of Shaoxing, brings concentrated savor and the ya cai a salty, funky depth. Tossed through just-cooked wheat noodles and scattered with scallions, it eats rich, spicy and deeply aromatic. At around twenty-five minutes it stays weeknight-friendly, and it rewards a cook who wants to keep a few Sichuan pantry staples on hand.
Dan Dan Noodles: frequently asked questions
How many calories are in Dan Dan Noodles?
A serving has about 801 calories — 29.2g protein, 85.6g carbs, 38.5g fat, 5.7g fiber. Figures are estimated from the ingredient amounts and will shift with your portions and brands.
Is it high in protein?
Each serving has about 29.2g of protein, roughly 15% of its calories.
Is Dan Dan Noodles gluten-free?
As written, no — it contains Wheat noodles, Light soy sauce, Dark soy sauce. You'd need a certified gluten-free swap for those ingredients to make it gluten-free.
How long does Dan Dan Noodles take to make?
About 25 minutes start to finish, but only around 18 of those are hands-on — the rest is cooking time. In the Homecooked app the timers and parallel steps are sequenced for you so the hands-on part feels even shorter.
Do I need every ingredient to make Dan Dan Noodles?
The core ingredients are essential, but you can leave out scallions — they're optional and mainly there for extra flavor or finish.
How many servings does Dan Dan Noodles make?
This recipe makes 4 servings. In the app you can scale it up or down and the ingredient amounts adjust automatically.