A Chinese noodle dish made of thick chewy noodles coated in a delicious spicy nutty sesame sauce that is packed with flavor! These easy dan dan noodles are a great meal in 20 minutes! This beats takeout saving you money.
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What are Dan Dan Noodles?
Dan Dan Noodles (aka Dan Dan Mian) feature fresh thick wheat noodles tossed in a savory spicy sauce with a tongue-tingling sensation and crispy ground pork!
It is a classic Chinese noodle that originates from the Sichuan, China. These popular spicy noodles are sold by many street vendors, making it a comfort food to the Chinese.
All Sichuan restaurants have their own version of these noodles. In fact, there are even regional variations too! But the key ingredients usually remain the same.
If there's one iconic dish that makes me think of China, it's this one for its incredible flavors!
Ingredients & Substitutes
Please scroll down to below recipe card for exact measurements.
Note: The Asian market is likely to carry these ingredients. You may find some at your select local grocery store or online, like on Amazon.
- Fresh wheat noodles: for best results, go for the fresh ones. If you can't find them, substitute with dried wheat noodles or even udon noodles.
- Ground pork: or substitute with ground chicken, beef or turkey or crumbled extra firm tofu for a vegan option.
- Reserved noodle water: to create that creamy sauce
- Green onions
- Neutral oil, like avocado oil, sunflower oil, grapeseed oil, peanut oil, vegetable oil or canola oil. Avoid olive oil, coconut oil or any heavy scented oils.
Noodle sauce
- Sesame paste: or as a last resort substitute with tahini paste, or peanut butter for a peanut sauce
- Chinese chili oil: store-bought or homemade chili oil
- Dark soy sauce: this is thicker and darker than regular soy sauce. But if you don’t have this, substitute with regular soy sauce.
- Regular soy sauce: or substitute with low sodium soy sauce or light soy sauce. If you’re gluten-free, substitute with tamari sauce, coconut aminos or a gluten-free soy sauce.
- White granulated sugar
- Chinese black vinegar: optional but highly recommend!
- Garlic cloves
- Sichuan peppercorn powder: this offers that tongue-numbing sensation. If you can't find it, omit it altogether.
- Sesame seeds: or substitute with sesame oil
- Chicken bouillon powder: if you're gluten-free, please omit
Pork seasoning
- Regular soy sauce
- Shaoxing wine: a Chinese rice cooking wine. Or substitute with Dry Sherry. For a non-alcoholic or gluten-free version, substitute with any broth.
- Chinese Five-spice powder
- White granulated sugar
- White pepper: or substitute with black pepper
Expert Tips
- Brown the pork. This allows the juices to come out and create more flavor.
- Do not over cook the noodles. They should be cooked until al dente.
- Don't forget to reserve the noodle water to thicken the sauce.
- Do not rinse the noodles. You will rinse off the wheat flavor in the noodles making it taste a bit bland.
- Use a large serving bowl. This will make it easier to mix the noodles, pork and sauce without it spilling over.
Instructions
Below are step-by-step instructions on how to make dan dan noodles:
Season Pork and Make Sauce
Season ground pork with Seasoning ingredients as listed. Set aside as you prepare other ingredients.
In a small bowl, combine Noodle Sauce ingredients as listed above. Set aside.
Serve Noodle Sauce and Brown Pork
Transfer the noodle sauce to the base of a large serving bowl.
In a wok or large pan on medium-high heat, cook marinated pork ground and break it up in finer pieces. Cook until the pork is browned, crispy on the edges and fat has rendered out. Set aside and keep warm.
Boil Noodles & Reserve Noodle Water
In a medium pot filled with enough water, bring to a boil. Add noodles and lower to medium heat. Boil for 2-3 minutes until Al Dente.
Reserve ½ cup of the starchy noodle water.
Strain and Place Noodles on Sauce
Strain the noodles. Do not rinse off with cold water.
Place hot noodles on top of the noodle sauce, followed by noodle water.
Add Cooked Pork and Mix
Place cooked pork on top. Garnish with green onions. Mix well and enjoy!
Storage
- Leftovers will last up to 4 days stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. To reheat: microwave for 2-3 minutes until hot or reheat in a pan on medium heat.
- Freezer friendly? I don't recommend freezing cooked dan dan noodles as the freezer air changes the texture of the noodles.
Pairing Suggestions
Dan dan noodles are typically served with a preserved vegetable called Zha cai aka pickled mustard greens. These can be found at the Asian market in the preserved vegetable aisle. They add a nice acidity to help balance out the spicy, savory, nutty noodles!
You can also enjoy it with any leafy greens like bok choy, spicy garlic bok choy, choy sum, gai lan, garlic green beans or stir fried snow pea leaves.
FAQ
The sichuan peppercorn powder is what makes your mouth numb when enjoying dan dan noodles. It has a numbing effect on your tongue but it's not spicy.
Dan dan noodles can be made in advance and stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. To enjoy, reheat it in the microwave or in a pan on the stovetop on medium heat.
📖 Recipe
Easy 20-min. Dan Dan Noodles
Ingredients
- 1 lb fresh wheat noodles or sub with udon noodles
- ½ lb ground pork or sub with ground chicken, turkey, beef or tofu
- ½ cup reserved noodle water
- 1 green onion finely chopped for garnish
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil or any neutral oil
Noodle sauce:
- 2 tablespoon sesame paste or sub with smooth peanut butter or tahini paste
- 2-3 tablespoon
Chinese chili oil or sub with any chili oil of your choice or make my homemade versionhere - ¾ tablespoon dark soy sauce
- ½ tablespoon regular soy sauce
- 2 teaspoon white granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoon Chinese black vinegar *not shown in video
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- ½ teaspoon Sichuan peppercorn powder
- 1 teaspoon sesame seeds toasted
- ¼ teaspoon chicken bouillon powder
Pork seasoning:
- 2 teaspoon regular soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon Shaoxing wine or sub with dry sherry or rice vinegar
- ½ teaspoon Chinese Five Spice
- ½ teaspoon white granulated sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon white pepper or black pepper
Instructions
- Season ground pork with Seasoning ingredients as listed. Set aside as you prepare other ingredients.
- In a small bowl, combine Noodle Sauce ingredients as listed above. Pour sauce to the base of a large serving bowl.
- In a wok or large skillet on medium-high heat, add vegetable oil and cook marinated pork ground until browned and fat has rendered out. Break it up in finer pieces. Set aside and keep warm.
- In a medium pot filled with enough water, bring to a boil. Add noodles and lower to medium heat. Boil for 2-3 minutes until Al Dente. Reserve ½ cup of hot noodle water. Strain noodles. Do not rinse off with cold water.
- Place hot noodles on top of the Noodle sauce in large serving bowl. Followed by the reserved noodle water.
- Place crispy pork mixture on top. Garnish with green onions. Enjoy by mixing the noodles and pork into the sauce until everything is coated in sauce.
Jamie
This recipe is amazing! I double the noodle sauce. It's sooo good!
christieathome
Thanks so much for making this recipe, Jamie! I am so glad you enjoyed it and I appreciate the kind review 🙂
Dan
Couldn’t find sichuan peppercorn powder. Other than that it worked fine. Careful with the chili oil. The one I purchased is really hot. I used shrimp sautéed in Chinese five spice. Thanks for the recipe.
christieathome
Thank you so much for making my recipe! Glad it worked out fine!
Jon Rubin
Just made these -- and my girlfriend's reaction was: yum! do it again, do it often!
Which is all I want from a recipe.
Thanks so much!
christieathome
Thank you so much for making my recipe, Jon! So glad your girlfriend enjoyed them! I appreciate the kind comment 🙂
Heidi | The Frugal Girls
These noodles look so so good! I loved your tips on adjusting the heat. That was so helpful.