Food - Drink
Chili Oil Plays A Starring Role In Dan Dan Noodles
By STEPHANIE FRIEDMAN
What are Dan Dan Noodles?
A popular Sichuan dish, dan dan noodles incorporate noodles, pork, sauce, and chili oil. In the 1800s, street vendors used bamboo poles, called “dan," to carry baskets of noodles and ingredients, which is where the dish gets its name, but one vendor in particular, Chen Baobao, popularized the dish.
Ingredients
Dan dan noodles incorporate noodles, greens, meat, pickled vegetables, sauce, and chili oil. The sauce is made up of chili paste, chili oil, sugar, garlic, chicken stock, Chinese sesame sauce, Chinese Five Spice, and Sichuan peppercorns. While traditional dan dan noodles are quite spicy, you can opt for a less spicy version.
How to Make Them
The star ingredient in dan dan noodles is chili oil, which you can easily find at Trader Joe’s or an Asian market, or make at home with oil, red peppers, and red pepper flakes. Once you have your ingredients, layer the sauce first, add the noodles, and then top with well-cooked pork and pickled vegetables.