Dan Dan Noodles

Method

Tap a step to highlight it, or turn on Cook Mode for large type and step-by-step focus.

1. Heat the oil in a wok over medium-high and fry the pork, breaking it up and then leaving it to catch, for 6 to 8 minutes until genuinely crisp and browned.

   Mark done Start 6 min timer

2. Add the Shaoxing wine, dark soy sauce and five-spice and cook 2 minutes until dry. Stir in the ya cai and fry 2 minutes more. Set aside.

   Mark done

3. Toast the Sichuan peppercorns for 45 seconds and grind them.

   Mark done Start 45 sec timer

4. In each serving bowl, whisk together the sesame paste, chilli oil, soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, garlic, ground Sichuan pepper and hot stock until smooth and loose.

   Mark done

5. Blanch the greens in boiling water for 60 seconds and lift out.

   Mark done Start 60 sec timer

6. Cook the noodles in the same water for 90 seconds to 2 minutes until just tender, then drain but do not rinse — the residual heat is what loosens the sauce.

   Mark done Start 90 sec timer

7. Pile the hot noodles straight onto the sauce, top with the crisp pork, greens, spring onion and peanuts.

   Mark done

8. Serve immediately and instruct everyone to stir vigorously from the bottom before eating.

   Mark done

Chef’s Tips

• Chinese sesame paste is made from toasted seeds and is much darker and nuttier than tahini. Tahini plus a teaspoon of sesame oil is an acceptable stand-in.
• Use the sediment from the bottom of the chilli oil jar, not just the clear oil — that is where the flavour lives.
• Ya cai is worth ordering online; it provides the salty, funky note that makes the dish distinctive.

Common Substitutions & Variations

• Out of spring onions? A small regular onion, finely sliced, or a few chives stirred in at the end both cover the job.
• A pinch of dried chilli flakes works in place of fresh chilli — start with about a third of the quantity the chilli in the list implies, since dried chilli is more concentrated, and add more to taste.
• An eighth of a teaspoon of garlic powder per clove is the usual stand-in when you are out of fresh garlic — it will not caramelise the same way, but it carries the flavour.

Pairing Suggestions

• A cold lager or barley tea
• Serve with smashed cucumber salad
• Finish with chilled melon

Storage & Reheating

The pork topping keeps 4 days refrigerated and freezes well. Assemble bowls to order — noodles standing in sauce turn claggy.

Common questions

Nutritional Highlights

Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list. Treat these as an estimate — brands and cuts vary.