I have had Dan Dan noodles at about five Szechuan restaurants and they are almost always different. The noodles have ranged from thick to thin and the sauce from soupy to oily. I tried to pull inspiration from my favorite versions and to add more veggies and less oil than I have seen in a lot of recipes.

The Chinese noodle recipe is from Souped Up Recipes. In my opinion, these noodles were worth the trouble but be prepared to knead. Heads up: maybe it was my vegan, egg-less version but it took me about double the time to knead my dough properly! Whether you decide to buy the noodles or make them, this dish will be super satisfying.

Ingredients

Sauce

2 tbs sesame paste
1.5 tbs chinkiang vinegar
2 tbs soy sauce
6 tbs of chili oil
2 tbs of vegetable broth (or water)
0.5 tbs Szechuan peppercorn, ground and strained
1 tsp of crushed chili peppers

Meat

7.8 oz of minced mushrooms (I used baby bella) or meat
1 tbs sesame paste
1 tbs of chili oil
1 tbs of chinkiang vinegar
0.5 tsp of garlic powder
White root and pale green of two large green onions, chopped

Toppings

Greens of two large green onions, sliced
1 head of large bok choy
0.25 cups of peanuts

NOodles

11 oz of bread flour
4.5 oz of water
- Or store bought Chinese noodles (any type works and you can select based on preference)

Preparation

Weigh out flour and water in a container or bowl and whisk until most of the dry flour is incorporated.
Knead in the container until you have a roughly shaped mass of dough and then bring dough to counter top to knead for 5-15 minutes until you have a remotely smooth ball. This step took me 15 minutes and until about 10 minutes in the dough was dry and flaky so be patient.
Let the dough sit in a covered container for at least 30 minutes.
While the dough is resting, mix chili oil ingredients in a small bowl or cup and set aside.
Mince mushrooms, chop green onion whites, and mix with sauces and spices in a small bowl.
Slice the greens of the onions and set aside. These are for serving.
Chop white firm segments off bok choy and slice them into thin about 1-2 inch long strips.
Cut large bok choy leaves in half if necessary. Keep this separate from the white stalks.
Knead dough for 8-10 minutes until you have a smooth mass of dough.
Cut the dough in half and roll out the dough on a floured surface until it is a few millimeters thick. If you want your noodles thicker like mine, think of the thickness of a dish towel. If you want really fine noodles, model after a really thick card stock. I think both noodle types are really yummy.
Flour both sides of dough and slice into small, long segments either directly on sheet of dough or after folding in half.
At this point, prep your stove top with a large saucepan or pot about three-quarters full of water with a pinch of salt on high heat and a deep frying pan with a splash of canola oil on high heat.
Fry up mushroom mix in the frying pan until a lot of the moisture is gone and it starts to separate.
Step 12 may take 5 or so minute, so if you aren't too overwhelmed and your water is boiling, add your noodles to the saucepan or pot. This will take anywhere from 2-10 minutes depending on the thickness of your noodles. Keep an eye on them and test them for done-ness. Do not cover the pot or it will boil over.
Add firm bok choy stems to the frying pan and cook until softened. Add bok choy leaves and cook until just tender but not fully wilted.
Turn off the heat, add the noddles on top of veggies and then add all of the dan dan sauce. Stir the noddles until all is incorporated. You may need to heat on low until it is ready.
Serve with the tops of the green onions, peanuts, and more sauce if you like it really spicy.

This is the dough before you let it rest in the container.

This is the dough after the second knead.

To make frying less chaotic, I put all the separate components in bowls by the frying pan.

Annalise

Dan Dan Noodles