Vegan Dan Dan Noodles
What are dan dan noodles?
Dan dan noodles are a traditional Sichuan noodle dish that is spicy and full of bold flavors. It originated from street vendors in the Sichuan province of China, who would carry the noodles in baskets to sell to those walking by. In Chinese, “dan dan mian” translates to “noodles carried on a pole.”
Typically, this dish is made with chili oil, minced pork, leafy green vegetables, and green onions, but it allows for variations depending on what you have in your kitchen.
It can be made vegan or vegetarian. In this vegan recipe, I’m using Gardein Ground Beef which is a meat substitute, but you can easily switch it out for ground beef or turkey.
Easy-to-make Sichuan noodles
Toast the Sichuan peppercorns over medium heat for two minutes, then grind them up to a fine powder with a mortar and pestle or spice grinder. In a small bowl, combine the rest of the ingredients for the sauce.
Bring water to boil in a large pot. When it is boiling, add the spaghetti or rice noodles and cook until tender.
While the spaghetti is boiling, heat a wok over high heat. Throw the sliced mushrooms into the wok and cook for 5 minutes until tender, then put them in a bowl. One of the cool things about mushrooms is you that don’t need to add any oil to cook them on their own. Mushrooms are 92 percent water and are living sponges that have lots of air pockets. When you add oil to them, they continue to sop up all that oil until they are fully saturated, and then they start to break down. If you don’t add oil, it will allow the mushrooms to naturally release their water and collapse those air pockets and cause the mushrooms to shrink and brown. This is a much healthier option than continuously adding oil and wondering where it went!
Mix together the garlic, protein, soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, and pepper in a bowl. Then add 1 teaspoon of oil to the wok, and add the ingredients in the bowl to the wok. Stir until your protein is fully cooked and the edges are light brown, for about 4-5 minutes.
At this point, your noodles should be done cooking. Strain the noodles, and then add them to the wok along with the mushrooms. Toss until all the ingredients are well incorporated.
Divide noodles into serving bowls and garnish with cilantro and green onions. Add more chili oil as desired for more heat. Enjoy!
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Vegan Dan Dan Noodles
Ingredients
- Sauce
- 2 teaspoon Sichuan peppercorns
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 teaspoon chopped ginger
- 2 tablespoon tahini
- 2 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
- 3 tablespoon chili oil
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- Protein
- 1 tablespoon cooking oil
- 1/2 pound of Gardein vegan beef crumbles or protein of your choice
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine dry sherry or rice wine
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- For Serving
- ½ box of spaghetti
- 8 ounces mushrooms (one package) sliced
- Handful of cilantro
- 2 green onions chopped
Instructions
- For the sauce, toast the Sichuan peppercorns over medium heat for two minutes, then grind it to a fine powder with a mortar and pestle. Combine the rest of the ingredients for the sauce in a small bowl.
- Bring water to boil in a large pot. Add the spaghetti or rice noodles and cook until tender, according to package instructions.
- While the spaghetti is boiling, heat a wok over high heat. Throw the sliced mushrooms into the wok and cook for 5 minutes or until soft. Transfer the mushrooms to a bowl.
- Mix together the garlic, protein, soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, and pepper in a bowl. Then add 1 teaspoon of oil to the wok, and add the ingredients in the bowl to the wok. Stir until your protein is fully cooked and the edges are light brown, for about 4-5 minutes. Turn off the heat.
- Strain the noodles, and then add them to the wok along with the mushrooms. Toss until all the ingredients are well incorporated.
- Divide noodles into serving bowls and garnish with cilantro and green onions. Add more chili oil for more heat. Enjoy!
Explore other Asian recipes and let me know how you liked this recipe in the comments below!