Spicy Szechuan Dan Dan Noodles with Pork

Last Updated on December 15, 2023 by Carne Diem

Protein:

Origin: Asian, Chinese

Method: Stovetop

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These spicy Chinese noodles with ground pork are seasoned with numbing Szechuan peppercorns, sesame paste, soy sauce, and Hoisin sauce in this 30-minute Asian dinner recipe.

Dan Dan noodle is another traditional Chinese recipe that I fell in love with while travelling through China. As is traditional in Szechuan cooking, this dish is spicy and given a slight numbing mouthfeel from the addition or Szechuan peppercorns.

Making the Szechuan Style Pork Dan Dan Noodles

To make this spicy Dan Dan noodle recipe you just need to mix together a couple cooking sauces, prepare your noodles, and then cook the ground pork with the rest of the dish. This simple Chinese noodle recipe can be on your table in under 30 minutes.

Ingredients for Chinese Dan Dan Noodles

Pork- You will need 1 pound of ground pork for the spicy Dan Dan noodles. When selecting pork you want to get the freshest pork possible.

You will also need to make 2 cooking sauces for the Szechuan pork noodles and will need some chili crisp and chili oil to fry the pork in for some extra spice and flavor.

Chili Crisp- The chili crisp is used to add the spicy heat to this typically spicy Szechuan dish. The amount used in the recipe typically results in a low-medium spice level. If you want to increase the spice of your spicy Dan Dan noodles then add additional chili crisp or crushed red pepper flakes.

Chili Oil- The chili oil adds another layer of spice and flavor to the dish. It can be found in the Asian aisle or most grocery stores. You can substitute vegetable, canola, peanut, or avocado oil is desired.

Cooking Sauce 1

The first cooking sauce consists of a few ingredients common in Chinese and Szechuan cooking. You may need to visit an Asian market to find some of the less common ingredients, or we have listed substitutions below.

Hoisin Sauce- Hoisin sauce is a thick, sweet and salty sauce made from fermented soybeans, sugar, and other spices and seasonings. It can commonly be found in the Asian aisle of most markets.

Shaoxing Cooking Wine- Shaoxing Cooking wine is a common ingredient in a variety of Chinese dishes. This wine is made from fermented rice and is a must have for making traditional Chinese food. This rice wine can be found in any Asian market or can be purchased online. If you can't find Shaoxing wine then dry sherry would be a reasonable substitute.

Light Soy Sauce- We recommend using a light soy sauce for this Dan Dan noodle recipe. If you can't find light soy sauce you can substitute tamari or regular soy sauce.

Zhenjiang Vinegar- Zhenjiang vinegar is another common ingredient in traditional Chinese recipes, that you may need to pick up from the Asian market or online. Zhenjiang vinegar is a black vinegar made from fermented black sticky rice. There is no great substitution for this traditional black vinegar, though in a pinch you can use half rice vinegar or rice wine vinegar and half balsamic vinegar in the recipe.

Chinese 5 Spice- Chinese 5 spice is a common spice mix used in Asian cuisine. It typically consists of cinnamon, star anise, cloves, Szechuan peppercorns and fennel seeds, and has a slight licorice flavor from the anise.

Cooking Sauce 2

To make the second cooking sauce for the pork Dan Dan noodles you will need a few fairly common ingredients.

Light Soy Sauce- You will need a little more light soy sauce in the second cooking sauce as well. Again you can substitute regular soy sauce if you do not have light.

Honey- Honey adds a subtle layer of sweetness to the dish and helps cut a little of the spice from these spicy Chinese noodles.

Sesame paste- You will need a few tablespoon of sesame paste for the Szechuan noodle recipe. Tahini sauce is probably the easiest to finds a most grocery stores and works well in the recipe.

Garlic- You will need about 1 tablespoon of minced garlic for the recipe.

Szechuan Peppercorns (Sichuan peppercorns)- Finally you will need Szechuan peppercorns for the Dan Dan noodles. These peppercorns are what give Szechuan cooking its iconic "numbing" spice to the dishes. These are actually dried berries from the prickly ash tree and not actually peppercorns at all. The tingling mouthfeel from Szechuan peppercorns is a result of a chemical called hydroxy-α-sanshool which is present in the berries. While some people will claim you can substitute regular black peppercorns, they are not really close to the same thing so try to find the real thing.

Selecting the best noodles for Dan Dan noodles

Traditionally Dan Dan noodles are made with round wheat noodles. We prefer to use fresh Chinese wheat noodles that we buy from our local Asian market or fresh noodles can sometimes be found in the refrigerator section of the Asian market and may be labelled as Dan Dan style noodles. You can also use dried wheat noodles like Lo Mein or wonton noodles, but these noodles will need to be boiled before using in the Dan Dan noodle recipe.

Make the Cooking Sauces for the Spicy Szechuan Noodles

In separate bowls, mix the ingredients for cooking sauce 1 and cooking sauce 2. Cover until needed. Cooking sauce 2 may need to be stirred for awhile to get the Tahini and honey to evenly mix into the sauce.

Cooking the Pork Dan Dan Noodles

Heat the chili oil and chili crisp in a wok or large skillet over medium heat. Add the ground pork and cook until cooked through, breaking it up as it cooks.

While the pork is cooking prepare the noodles. If using dry noodles, cook according to package instructions. Fresh noodles do not need to be precooked.

Add cooking sauce 1 to the wok and stir well to combine and evenly coat the pork. Cook for 3 minutes.

Add in cooking sauce 2 and stir to combine. Cook for about 3-5 minutes or until the sauce has thickened. Remove from the heat and stir in the noodles to combine. Serve warm. Alternatively, the noodles can be served "plain" and then topped with the spicy pork Dan Dan sauce.

Serving the Szechuan Dan Dan Noodles

Dan Dan noodles are typically served as a stand alone main dish, but you can certainly serve with with your favorite Chinese side dishes side rice, egg rolls, or dumplings.

For more great Asian inspired meat recipes be sure to check out some of our favorites:

• Chinese Ants Climbing a Tree: Ma Yi Shang Shu
• Smoked Miso Black Cod: Misoyaki Butterfish
• Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup with Smoked Beef
• Taiwanese Night Market Spicy Fried Chicken
• Grilled Tiger Cry Beef
• Korean BBQ at Home: Grilled Bulgogi
• Japanese Teppanyaki On Your Grill

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