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Dan Dan Noodles
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Dan Dan Noodles – The Epitome Of Budget Gourmet

So much great food has come out of Sichuan Province, and Dan Dan Noodles are no exception! They are one of the favorite snacks of the Sichuan folk and have become a staple food all over China.
Course Main Course
Cuisine Chinese

Ingredients

  • 300 g noodles. You can make these according to my recipe or you can buy them from the store.
  • 1 small chicken for soup stock. You can use other stock instead.
  • 80 g minced beef or other meat
  • 40 g spinach
  • 50 g bean sprouts

Seasonings:

  • 2 tablespoons red chili oil
  • 2 tablespoons light soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon  vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons cooking wine
  • 8 peppercorns
  • 2 tablespoons tempeh
  • 30 g green onion
  • 30 g garlic
  • 30 g ginger
  • 1 tablespoon salt
  • 3 tablespoons peanut oil

Instructions

  • Boil the chicken to make the soup stock.Put the chicken into the soup pot, with a few peppercorns, the cooking wine, some onions, and ginger, which will dissipate the ‘fishy’ smell of the meat. After the water comes to the boil, transfer the pot to the smallest hotplate and turn to low. Keep the pot covered and boil on low for 40 minutes. Cooking on low produces a clearer stock.
  • Prepare the other ingredients.While the soup is simmering away, finely chop the tempeh, ginger, and onions. Mince the garlic and have the meat ready.
  • In a pan add the peanut oil and heat on low for one minute. Add the meat and stir fry until it no longer smells.
  • Toss in the onion, ginger, minced garlic, tempeh, bean sprouts, 1/2 tablespoon of cooking wine and ½ tablespoon soy sauce. Smell that delicious aroma!
  • Stir fry the mixture for 2 minutes. Put the mixture into a bowl and put aside.
  • Add a tablespoon of vinegar, a tablespoon of soy sauce, 4 tablespoons of red oil, add a small amount of onion and garlic, vinegar, and soy sauce to taste. This sauce is mainly salty-spicy, and a little acidic, but can be adjusted to your own taste. See my Spicy Oil article to create your own.
  • Next, cook the vegetables and noodles.Cook the spinach for 30 seconds in boiling water and strain.
  • Boil water in a pot, add the noodles until cooked. Remove and drain.
  • Finally, while the noodles are cooking, take a serving bowl and pour in a little chicken soup, filling to about a third of the way. Add spicy red oil to your taste, some bean sprouts, meat, and vegetables. Top with a sprinkling of toasted sesame seeds and green onion sliced on the diagonal.
  • And there you have Dan Dan Noodles. I can smell it now while I type. You know it’s hard to type up such deliciousness. My stomach constantly calls me to the kitchen!