Dan Dan Noodles

Dan dan noodles started life as a Chengdu street food, carried in shoulder poles by vendors who sold them from baskets, which is how the dish got its name. The recipe has traveled around the world without losing its signature heat, and it remains one of the most beloved noodle dishes in all of Sichuan cooking. Today it is served everywhere from night markets to white-tablecloth restaurants, though every vendor had a slightly different sauce and the soul was always the same.

A street-cart bowl with a sauce worth fighting for

Each bowl holds chewy noodles in a sauce that is nutty from sesame paste, spicy from chili oil, and salty from preserved vegetables, with crisp ground pork on top. Stirring everything together is the whole ritual, and every forkful lands somewhere between a snack and a full meal. Make the sauce generous, the noodles are only as good as what they are tossed in, and the crushed peanuts and scallions add the crunch that finishes the bowl.

Craving more? Explore all Sichuan Kitchen recipes.

This dish leans on the condiments covered in Beginner’s Guide to Asian Sauces & Seasonings.

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