Dan Dan Noodles

I have tried spicy Dan Dan Noodles at a few restaurants and have enjoyed them every time.  After the third or fourth try I thought I might see if I could make my own.  I looked at some books and the internet (thanks Tony Tan) and found that it is quite a common Chinese favourite.  I cobbled together a recipe and headed for my local Asian grocer.  The shop I go to is the Asian Grocery at 1146 Glenhuntly Road, Glenhuntly.  I was browsing around for the ingredients and doing well until I started looking for the preserved vegetables, I wasn’t sure which ones to get.  The friendly grocer came to my rescue and as soon as I mentioned I was making Dan Dan Noodles he zipped around the shop providing me with everything I needed.  This is why it is good to establish a relationship with your food providers (something you don’t get when you visit the supermarket).  I came home loaded up with dark soy sauce, black vinegar and those preserved vegetables, here is the recipe I made.

Dan Dan Noodles

Ingredients

4tsp Shaoxing rice wine

4 tsp light soy sauce

500g pork mince

Place these ingredients in a bowl and marinate for twenty minutes.

4 tbs vegetable oil (I prefer peanut or sunflower oil)

80g Tianjin preserved vegetables (or one small packet, rinsed and squeezed dry)

1 tbs Sichuan pepper (toasted and ground in a mortar and pestle or already ground if you must)

2 tbs Shaoxing rice wine

4 tbs light soy sauce

2 tsp dark soy sauce

3-5 tablespoons chilli oil (to taste)

4 tsp Chinese black vinegar

2 cups chicken stock

500-750g fresh udon or flat rice noodles

Method

Heat the oil in a very hot wok.  Add preserved vegetables and stir fry for a minute or two ( be careful, they spatter a lot).  Add marinated mince and stir fry until the mince is lightly browned and broken up.  Add Sichuan pepper followed by Shaoxing wine, light and dark soy sauce, chilli oil and black vinegar.  Stir fry for a minute or two then add the chicken stock.  Simmer for ten minutes.

To serve

Cook udon or flat rice noodles according to directions on packet.  Place a generous amount of noodles in each serving bowl and top with the mince mixture (making sure you give everyone plenty of the delicious sauce).  Garnish with sliced cucumber and chopped spring onions. We served ours with pak choy sauteed in oyster sauce.

Pak choy in oyster sauce