Szechuan Dan Dan Noodles

Skip the carryout menu. Our take on this popular Chinese Sichuan street food recipe features a spicy sauce, fresh vegetables, and ground pork.

two dan dan noodle bowls
Photo: Blaine Moats
Total Time:
50 mins
Servings:
6
Yield:
9 1/2 cups

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon canola oil

  • 2 teaspoon Szechuan peppercorns* or 4 dried Thai chile peppers

  • 1 pound ground pork

  • 4 cloves garlic, minced

  • 1 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder

  • 1 medium carrot, cut into thin, bite-size strips

  • 2 medium shallots, thinly sliced

  • 8 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth

  • 2 tablespoon black bean paste*

  • 6 ounce dried lo mein noodles

  • 2 cup trimmed and thinly sliced Chinese broccoli* or broccolini

  • 1 cup fresh snow pea pods, trimmed and thinly sliced lengthwise

  • 2 tablespoon black vinegar*

  • ½ cup chopped, lightly salted cocktail peanuts

Directions

  1. In a 5- to 6-qt. Dutch oven heat oil and peppercorns over medium 1 to 2 minutes or until peppercorns are fragrant, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Let stand 2 minutes. Remove and discard peppercorns, reserving oil.

  2. Add ground pork, garlic, and five-spice powder to oil in Dutch oven. Cook over medium-high heat until meat is browned. Using a slotted spoon, remove meat. Add carrot and shallots to drippings. Cook 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.

  3. Add broth and bean paste to Dutch oven. Bring to boiling. Add noodles; return to boiling. Cook according to noodle package directions until tender, stirring occasionally and adding broccoli the last 2 minutes. Stir in cooked meat and pea pods; cook 2 minutes more. Stir in vinegar. Top servings with peanuts.

*Shopping Tip

Buy Szechuan peppercorns at Asian markets or spice stores. An Asian market is best for salty, garlicky black bean paste and leafy Chinese broccoli (aka gai lan). Black vinegar is occasionally at large supermarkets. (A good sub for it is 1 Tbsp. each rice vinegar and Worcestershire sauce.)

Nutrition Facts (per serving)

397 Calories
20g Fat
30g Carbs
25g Protein
Nutrition Facts
Servings Per Recipe 6
Calories 397
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 20g 26%
Saturated Fat 5g 25%
Cholesterol 51mg 17%
Sodium 1178mg 51%
Total Carbohydrate 30g 11%
Total Sugars 4g
Protein 25g
Vitamin C 36.5mg 183%
Calcium 72mg 6%
Iron 2.8mg 16%
Potassium 708mg 15%
Folate, total 39mcg
Vitamin B-12 0.7mcg
Vitamin B-6 0.6mg

*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

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