Dan Dan Mian
When I came across this recipe for dan dan main I knew that I would have to try it. Dan dan mian is a Chinese Sichuan dish that consists of a spicy peanut and or sesame sauce on noodles. I like using peanuts in savoury dishes and this spicy peanut dish sounded really good. The dish also includes Sichuan peppercorns which I have been wanting to try for a while. Sichuan peppercorns are supposed to create a tingly numbness in the mouth which sounded interesting.
The only problem was that I had not been able to find the Sichuan peppercorns anywhere. I eventually came to the conclusion that I would have to go to Chinatown to get them. When I got there no one had any clue what I was talking about no matter how I pronounced Sichuan/Schezuan peppercorns. I went home empty handed. I was not going to be dissuaded that easily! I looked up Sichuan peppercorns on the internet and found the Chinese symbols for them (花椒) and wrote them down on a sheet of paper. On my second try I had no problems and came home with my prize.
Now that I had all of the ingredients I was ready to make the dan dan mian. To start, I toasted the Sichuan peppercorns whole (you are supposed to use both the seeds and husk) and they filled my place with an amazing aroma. I then ground the Sichuan peppercorns in my mortar and pestle. The rest of the dish is pretty straight forward and it came together easily. I decided to go with thick udon noodles but any noodles would work. The dan dan nmian turned out great! I really enjoyed the hot and spicy peanuty sauce and it went well on the udon noodles. The crunchy peanuts on top added a nice contrast in texture. I served the dan dan mian with sliced cucumbers on the side and they did a great job at quenching the heat in between bites.
Ingredients:
1 pound ground pork
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon oil
1 onion (chopped)
3 tablespoons garlic (chopped)
2 tablespoons ginger (chopped)
2 tablespoons peanut butter
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon chili oil
2 tablespoon chili sauce (or to taste)
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon Sichuan peppercorns (toasted & ground)
1 cup chicken stock
1 pound noodles
1 handful peanuts (chopped, optional)
1 green onion (chopped, optional)
1 cucumber (julienned, optional)
Directions:
1. Mix the pork and soy sauce.
2. Brown the pork in a large pan and set aside.
3. Heat the oil in the same pan.
4. Add the onions and saute until tender, about 5-7 minutes.
5. Add the garlic and ginger and saute until fragrant, about 1 minute.
6. Add the peanut butter, soy sauce, chili oil, chili sauce, sesame oil, Sichuan peppercorns and chicken stock and simmer for 5-7 minutes.
7. Add the pork and remove from the heat.
8. Place some noodles on a plate and pour some of the pork sauce onto them.
9. Garnish with peanuts, onions and a side of sliced cucumbers.
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49 comments:
interesting... you used udon noodles huh? I traveled China in Jan and had the best noodles in Guilin (Gui Lin Mi Fen),and they kinda looked like your dan dan mian. Now Im craving it.
That is a great story. Persistance pays off! It's a beautiful recipe. I might have to hit up Chinatown in San Francisco next time I'm there.
I never try cooking with Szechuan peppercorn before. I am for sure going to get some in my next trip to the asian store. I really like your noodles and going to cook some once I get the peppercorn. By the way, thanks for your comment at my blog. Do you mind if I link you. Thanks
I can't say that I've ever heard of Dan Dan Mian; but ANYTHING with peanut or sesame sauce is a winner, in my opinion - yum!!
That's a good idea Kevin (writing the Chinese name of the product on paper) because all I get is blank stares when I ask for an item.
YUM. What an intriguing sounding recipe.
Sounds delicious.
Sounds great - I hope your mouth didn't get too numb! :)
Wow--you were determined to get those Sichuan peppercorns! The dish looks great--totally worth the effort.
looks delicious , kevin
That looks so good!!! Sounds like a great Sunday night dinner to me!!!
Great blog, by the way.
Mary
Sichuan food is still something I've been dying to make more of. I've got so many peppercorns to play with, it's crazy! Thanks for the recipe!
Awesome! Another great new idea to try! looks great!
variety, this is what i love about your recipes/blog!
peanuts and sichuan flavours-what a winner.
that looks soo good! it's so pretty too!
I just want to dig into that right now.
cool, u really work hard to find the szechuan peppercorns. That means more wonderful asian recipes to come, heh.
So how do you pronounce Sichuan?
Very smart! Now we should see you wandering Chinatown more often, list in hand! :) I love Sichuan anything!
i love dan dan mian...but normally here in hong kong it is a lot more soupy and although i dont know how to make it...i absolutely adore handmade shanghai/peking ramen...they are springy and chewy...don't use soft noodles for this :) and people use chunky peanut butter sometimes
unfortunately, there's no source for asian ingredients anywhere near me. i suppose regular peppercorns will just have to do because this recipe is very enticing.
That looks so good Kevin. I love peanuts in cooking, so i bet I'd love this. Guess what I'll be looking out for next time I'm in China Town shopping!?
Dan Dan Mian - that looks good! Look that those real peanuts :)
I love sezchuan peppercorns too but I did have a bad experience a few years ago when I used too many in one recipe. If you overuse them , they take on a really weird and powerful taste - it's not pleasant! Your noodles look delicious though, I love adding peanut to savoury dishes, the obvious one being pad thai, one of my faves!
Sounds great Kevin! I bet your kitchen was filled with wonderful smells as you were cooking this dish.
This is another great idea to try out..
Rosie x
Wow... First of all, I thought I detested this dish - it's "recommended" at PF Chang's, and quite honestly, their's was not appetizing.
However! yours, my dear, looks quite delicious - and udon noodles... yum!
This sounds so spicy and good. I might have some luck finding the peppercorns in Vancouver's Chinatown:D
Looks great Kevin, I'm glad you eventually found what you were looking for :-)
Dell xo
Glad you got those peppercorns! Yet another yummy looking dish I want to try!
I love spicy Schezuan peppercorns! I think this dish would be lovely with thick rice noodles too.
I admire your diligence in your search! :)
Fantastic Kevin. I'm waiting for you to start a new business running tours through Kensington Market and Chinatown for people who need to learn where to find ingredients for culinary adventures. You have incredible persistence.
I love anything with a peanut sauce, but my husband doesn't, so I don't get it very often. This sounds so delicious, though, especially with that heat!
I was looking for something to make for dinner last night and happened to be reading your blog. I decided to make these Dan Dan noodles and it turned out great -- very spicy and tasty! I only added a bit more peanut butter (that's my favorite part).
Kevin, I just awarded you:) Please see my blog for details.
I love dan dan mian! Sichuan peppercorns are the type of spicy that builds up. Usually by the end of the meal, my mouth is on fire, but I still love it! I think you would love korean bibim guk soo.. They're SUPER spicy!
I am such a huge fan of Sichuan food (and pork). For a while szechuan peppercorns were banned from being imported into the US. I remember in the early 90's in the SF Bay area eating fantastic Sichuan food at a local restaurant that made my mouth zing. Love it! And love your dish.
http://www.penzeys.com/cgi-bin/penzeys/p-penzeysszechuanpeppercorns.html
You can order them pretty cheaply from these guys...
Too funny. You sure were bound and determined to get what you needed, huh?
Asian noodle dishes are my favorite. Especially with peanuts!
This looks fabulous, Kevin! I love peanut sauces like this. I'm definitely trying this one.
I love Dan Dan Noodles, but they're quite difficult to make. I'm very particular about my noodles and they have to be just the right texture. I like mine with pork (like you have!) and it has to have just the right amount of heat. My favourite version is at my local restaurant and I've tried to replicate it but have been quite disgusted with my attempts. I'll have to try your version because it looks tempting!
hi kevin ,Excellent recipe, we live in china and I know how delicious this recipe is with sichuan pepper corn mesmerising the tongue.I have got tempted to try out soon at home.
It's so funny. I think I would like that dish.
What a great idea to write down the chinese word!
Yum this is one of my favorites!
You found some huajiao! That sure is persistence. Looks like it paid off, though!
That Dan Dan Mian sounds excellent
will give it a go.
Unlike you I do have the peppercorns in my pantry. so thanks for the idea.
Cheers
Are you using toasted or untoasted sesame oil in the recipe - the flavors are so different, I don't want to use the wrong one!
Jenn: I used toasted sesame oil.
Thanks so much for the recipe!
The picture is beautiful... making me hungry just looking at it. YUM!! (^-^)
I actually used to live in Chong'qing in Szechuan and hawkers sold this at every corner! The locals love it and seem to have absolutely no limit in the amount of chilli oil they spooned onto it.
It's an amazingly easy dish to make and my mother often does it when she goes home late from work.
It works better with thin noodles though. And you can even have it with a chicken stock soup base for those cold winter nights.
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