Doesn’t it always seem like December is the busiest month? There’s always so many dinners/get togethers to go to and so many errands to run. It almost seems like there isn’t any time to make dinner…unless it’s one of those crazy elaborate dinners you’re making to impress. Or maybe it’s a dinner of cookies. Anyway, this is the super easy noodle bowl you’re going to be making over and over again when you want a fast, easy, flavorful meal that takes just under ten minutes.
To be honest, this technically isn’t dan dan mian/dan dan noodles but it technically is too. See, dan dan noodles are one of those dishes, the kind where there are a thousand variations, even in Sichuan, where they’re from. They can come in soup, they can come more dry, they can have pork, they can be vegetarian, they can be whatever you want, really.
Since this is a cheaters (ie, super easy) version, we’re going to skip out on the meat and the ya cai (classic pickled vegetables) and essentially make a toss and eat noodle bowl. If you can boil noodles and mix sauce in a bowl, you can make these super satisfying spicy noodles.
What are dan dan noodles?
Dan dan noodles or dan dan mian, are a super popular spicy Sichuan street food. Noodles are tossing a spicy sauce served up with preserved pickled vegetables and minced pork. They can be dry or in soup. Sesame paste is often added for a contrast to the spice as well as a nice nutty note.
What do dan dan noodles taste like?
These dan dan noodles taste spicy, savory, and nutty with a little hint of malty vinegar. They’re full of flavor and so good.
Tips
This is cheater’s dan dan, so don’t worry too much about the ingredients. Obviously homemade chili oil is best, but here store bought is the way to go. We like this brand, which is available in lots of stores and online.
Ditto on the black vinegar and sesame paste. Chinese sesame paste is really different from tahini. Just by looking at it, you can tell that Chinese sesame paste is a lot darker and thicker. This is because it’s made from toasted un-hulled sesame seeds whereas tahini is make from untoasted hulled sesame seeds. Chinese sesame paste has a deeper toasted nutty note.
If you need to, you can sub the Chinese sesame paste with natural, unsweetened peanut butter mixed with a bit of extra toasted sesame oil. For the black vinegar, you can sub balsamic or any vinegar you have on hand. It won’t be quite the same, but this is cheater’s dan dan after all!
Happy spicy noodle bowl eating!
Easy 10 Minute Spicy Garlicky Cheater’s Dan Dan Noodles
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp Chinese sesame paste
- 2 tbsp chili oil or to taste
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tsp black vinegar
- 2 tsp sugar
- 1-2 cloves garlic finely minced
- 2 servings noodles of choice
- toasted sesame seeds if desired
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix together the sesame paste with the the chili oil, soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, and garlic.
- Cook the noodles according to the package instructions. Save 1/4 cup of the cooking water, then drain well.
- Toss the noodles with the sauce, loosening with hot noodle water if too thick.
- Enjoy topped with toasted sesame seeds and extra chili oil.
Can you tell the brand of chili oil and noodles?
hi,
it’s lao gan ma chili crisp. i don’t have the packaging for the noodles anymore, but they’re dried knife cut noodles. hope that helps!
Hi, which brand of chili oil, sesame paste and black vinegar did you use? Will be much easier to track down at my local market if I have the brands :) Can’t wait to try this recipe!
hi preeti,
the chili oil is lao gan ma, the sesame paste is wangzhihe. i don’t remember which black vinegar brand it was because i changed bottles, but i’ve used koon chung before. hope that helps!
What is the weight of your serving of noodles? Ie. My two servings could be another person’s one serving or another person’s four servings. And yes, you mention having a preference for a certain chili oil but don’t include the brand or a picture. Thanks.
hi,
the chili oil is lao gan ma and the noodles are 2 ounces dried
dood! fess up the deets on the brand of chili oil and other ingredients used
thanks
ah, it’s lao gan ma chili oil and the sesame paste is wangxihe
Either these guys dont read the comments or too lazy to its hilarious that you’re replying the same answers to all of them haha nice recipe.
no one reads the comments LOL
hey steph, i just wanted to tell you that you are so amazing. i bought your book recently and was super inspired by it (i can’t wait to make the popcorn chicken). i, like most people like perusing you and mike’s work but i’ve seldom made anything yet because i’m lazy. however, i finally got off my butt and made this recipe and my boyfriend and his brother loved it. my boyfriend finished it and what’s funny is, the very next day, his brother came around looking for seconds but of course it was all gone unfortunately. haha. anyhow, i just wanted to encourage you to keep doing what you’re doing. your loyal followers love your stuff even though they may not all express their gratitude. you inspire me to keep cooking and i look forward to your posts on instagram constantly. no pressure though. just keep doing you. thank you for all of your hard work.
oh my gosh, this is the sweetest! thank you so much for taking the time to write :D i’m blushing!!
I’d like to echo Judie F. Your blog is one of THE best i’ve come across and the food is next level delicious. Also the photography is awesome. Keep it up!
thanks so much jez!! :)
What kind/brand of noodles did you use? This looks so good!!!
they’re knife cut planed noodles. you can find them at the asian grocery store – don’t have a brand name though!