Dan Dan Noodles
Chengdu's famous street noodles: springy wheat noodles sitting in a pool of chili oil, sesame paste and black vinegar, topped with crispy savoury pork and preserved vegetable. Toss everything together before eating.
Servings
Ingredients
Nutrition
Per serving
Steps
Make the pork crispy
Heat the oil in a wok or large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the pork and break it up with a spoon, frying for 6-8 minutes until dry, browned and crispy at the edges. Stir in the Shaoxing wine, and , and fry 1 minute more.
- 1 tbsp oil
- 250g minced pork
- 1 tbsp
- 1 tbsp
- 40g
✅ Done when: pork is dry, browned and crispy at the edges
Make the sauce in the bowls
Set out four serving bowls and divide the sesame paste, chili oil, , black vinegar, sugar, Sichuan pepper and garlic evenly between them, stirring each to combine. Spoon 2 tablespoons of hot water from the pot you will boil the noodles in into each bowl (8 tablespoons total) to thin the sauce.
- 3 tbsp sesame paste
- 4 tbsp chili oil
- 3 tbsp
- 2 tsp black vinegar
- 2 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp ground Sichuan peppercorns
- 2 cloves garlic
- 8 tbsp hot water
✅ Done when: sauce is smooth and slightly loosened
Cook the noodles and greens
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Put it together
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Make the pork crispy
Heat the oil in a wok or large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the pork and break it up with a spoon, frying for 6-8 minutes until dry, browned and crispy at the edges. Stir in the Shaoxing wine, and , and fry 1 minute more.
- 1 tbsp oil
- 250g minced pork
- 1 tbsp
- 1 tbsp
- 40g
✅ Done when: pork is dry, browned and crispy at the edges
Make the sauce in the bowls
Set out four serving bowls and divide the sesame paste, chili oil, , black vinegar, sugar, Sichuan pepper and garlic evenly between them, stirring each to combine. Spoon 2 tablespoons of hot water from the pot you will boil the noodles in into each bowl (8 tablespoons total) to thin the sauce.
- 3 tbsp sesame paste
- 4 tbsp chili oil
- 3 tbsp
- 2 tsp black vinegar
- 2 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp ground Sichuan peppercorns
- 2 cloves garlic
- 8 tbsp hot water
✅ Done when: sauce is smooth and slightly loosened
Cook the noodles and greens
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Put it together
This step is part of Foodie Premium. Subscribe to unlock the full method, cooking mode and every recipe in the library.
The Story Behind the Dish
Dan dan noodles are named after the bamboo shoulder pole (dan) that street vendors used to carry their kitchens through Chengdu's lanes: a pot of boiling water on one end, noodles and sauces on the other.
The vendors served small portions as a snack, calling out to customers as they walked. Today the dish is a fixture of Sichuan restaurants worldwide.
⭐ Why It's Famous
Every mouthful hits all the Sichuan notes at once — nutty, spicy, numbing, salty, sour and sweet.
💡 Fun Fact
In Chengdu, dan dan noodles are traditionally served almost dry, with just a little sauce at the bottom, not as a soup.
Chengdu, Sichuan
30.57°N, 104.07°E
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