Dan Dan Noodles

After one year since my unsuccessful attempt at making dan dan noodles, I decided to give it another try.  Dan Dan Noodles  (担担面) is a Chinese Sichuan dish consisting of a spicy sauce with minced pork and preserved vegetables served over noodles.  All the recipes I found were so different so I just adapted to several recipes into one.  This home-made version satisfied my dan dan noodle cravings for now. 


Dan Dan Noodles  
Serves 4

Ingredients:

Cooking oil
1 lb. ground pork
1/2 T low-sodium soy sauce
2 tsp Shaoxing rice wine
1 tsp sesame oil
1/2 onion, diced
3 T garlic, minced
2 T ginger, minced
2 T peanut butter
1 1/2 T light soy sauce
1/2 T dark soy sauce
2 T chili oil
1 T Sichuan peppercorns (toasted & ground)
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 pound noodles

Garnish:
Crushed roasted peanuts
Chopped green onions

Directions:
1. Mix pork, soy sauce, rice wine and sesame oil.  Set aside and let marinade for 15 minutes.
2. Heat a large wok or skillet on medium high heat. Add oil and brown until no longer pink then set aside.
3. Return wok to heat, add oil and saute onions until tender.
4. Add the garlic and ginger and saute until fragrant.
5. Add the peanut butter, soy sauce, chili oil, chili sauce, sesame oil, Sichuan peppercorns and chicken stock and simmer for 5-7 minutes.
6. Add the pork and remove from the heat.
7. Prepare the noodles according to package instructions. Place noodles on a plate and pour some of the pork  mixture over the noodles.
8. Garnish with chopped peanuts and green onions, and serve.

Sources:
Closet Cooking
World Foodie Guide
Smoky Wok
Appetite for China