Dan Dan Noodles

Dan dan noodles originated as a street food carried on shoulder poles — the 'dan dan' refers to the carrying pole itself — by vendors threading through Chengdu's old neighbourhoods. The dish is the soul of Sichuan noodle culture: wheat noodles tossed in a complex sauce built from sesame paste, chilli oil, Sichuan pepper, and a scattering of spiced pork. Every household and cook shop maintains a jealously guarded ratio.

Serves: 4

Ingredients

Pork topping:

• 250g (9 oz) ground (minced) pork
• 1 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine
• 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
• 1 tsp five-spice powder
• 2 tbsp neutral oil
• 40g (1.5 oz) ya cai (Yibin preserved mustard greens), rinsed

Sauce (per bowl):

• 2 tbsp Chinese sesame paste (or tahini)
• 1.5 tbsp chilli oil with sediment
• 1 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tbsp black vinegar (Chinkiang)
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp sugar
• 0.5 tsp ground Sichuan pepper
• 3 tbsp hot cooking water from noodles

Noodles:

• 400g (14 oz) fresh or dried thin wheat noodles
• 2 spring onions, finely sliced
• 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds

Instructions

1. Fry pork in oil over high heat, breaking it up, until well browned, 4 minutes. Add Shaoxing wine, dark soy, and five-spice; cook 1 minute. Stir in ya cai and cook 2 more minutes. Set aside.
2. Whisk all sauce ingredients together in each serving bowl, thinning with hot noodle water until pourable.
3. Cook noodles in boiling unsalted water per packet instructions, usually 2-3 minutes for fresh, 5-7 for dried. Reserve 250ml (1 cup) cooking water.
4. Drain noodles and divide among prepared bowls. Top with pork mixture and spring onions.
5. Toss at the table before eating, folding the sauce up through the noodles thoroughly.

Cook's Notes: Ya cai is sold in vacuum packets in Chinese supermarkets and keeps indefinitely. The sauce builds quickly — once you memorise the ratios this becomes a genuine quick weeknight dish.