Medicated Sichuanese Dandan Noodles
My late grandfather was born and raised in Sichuan but escaped and moved to Taiwan. Grandpa brought with him his love for loud flavors which was definitely passed down to me. Sichuan is known for their bold cuisine--lots of hot, sour, salty, sweet, and "mala", which is a tingly spicy sensation from Sichuan peppercorns. To me, it's less of a mouth-burn spice and more of a warm, numbing head and body high. It's divine.
One of my favorite dishes growing up was this luscious, porky Dandan noodle. If it's on any menu, my dad and I will order it 100%. Dandan noodles are traditionally Chinese Sichuan but was adapted to Taiwanese cuisine with the added sesame paste or peanut butter. It consists of a spicy ground pork sauce containing salty preserved mustard greens, scallions, and a chili oil much like the one from my previous post. I like to make the sauce in bulk to freeze and bust out when I need to whip up a quick meal.
There might be a few strange ingredients here and there but fear not, you can purchase them all at your local Asian grocery store!
Medicated Sichuanese Dandan Noodles
Serves 4-6
Ingredients:
• 2 Tbsp Chinese sesame paste, or peanut butter
• 3 Tbsp dark soy sauce
• 3 Tbsp Chinese black vinegar
• 2 green onions, chopped
• 1 Tbsp white sugar
• 1/4 cup medicated chili oil, more if you want additional heat
• 1/2 tsp ground Sichuan peppercorn
• 1/2 tsp five spice powder
• 1 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 clove garlic, minced
• 1 lb ground pork
• 1 Tbsp fresh ginger, finely minced
• 2 Tbsp chili bean paste (doubanjiang)
• 1 Tbsp shaoxing wine
• 1/4 cup sui mi ya cai (preserved mustard greens)
• 1/4 cup hot water
• 1 lb fresh egg noodles
• Handful baby bok choy
• Green onions to garnish
• Crushed peanuts to garnish, optional
Directions:
1. In a bowl, whisk sesame paste, soy sauce, and black vinegar together. Add green onion, sugar, and medicated chili oil. Stir until incorporated.
2. Add in ground Sichuan peppercorns and five spice. Taste test to see if you need more spices and heat. Adjust to taste and set aside.
3. Heat vegetable oil in a skillet over medium high heat until hot. Add garlic, pork, and stir until the meat turns white, about two minutes. Turn the heat to low and add ginger, chili bean paste, shaoxing wine, and preserved mustard greens. Stir and cook until the pork is dark brown.
4. Remove the skillet from heat, pour the spicy sesame paste sauce on top, and mix well. Set aside.
5. Cook noodles according to instructions. After straining the noodles, quickly blanch the bok choy for 30 seconds in the noodle water. Reserve the water for assembly.
6. Assemble 4 bowls of noodles. Top with a few spoonfuls of the spicy ground pork mixture and blanched bok choy. If the sauce is too thick, loosen with a few spoonfuls of noodle water. Garnish with green onions.
