Recreating J. Kenji López-Alt's Dan Dan Noodles From Taste | Reverse Engineering | Bon Appétit
We challenged resident Bon Appétit supertaster and test kitchen director Chris Morocco to recreate J. Kenji López-Alt's Dan Dan noodles. The catch? He'll have to use each of his senses - other than sight. Does Chris have what it takes to recognize and reproduce these Dan Dan noodles if using his eyes is a no-no?
See J. Kenji López-Alt's original Dan Dan Noodles recipe here:
Check out J. Kenji López-Alt's new cookbook, THE WOK: Recipes and Techniques, on-sale now.
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Bon Appétit is a highly opinionated food brand that wants everyone to love cooking and eating as much as we do. We believe in seasonal produce, properly salted pasta water, and developing recipes that anyone can make at home.
Dan Dan Noodles - How to Make Authentic, Street Food style Dandan Noodles (担担面)
Dan Dan Noodles - always a favorite. It's a simple dish, but how could you go wrong with fresh noodles, a pork and yacai topping sitting in a pool of a spicy, chili oil based sauce?
The first step in a great Dan Dan noodle is a quality homemade chili oil. We want the Sichuan version here - so be sure to check out our video on how to make that red oil.
As always, here's the detailed written recipe over in /r/cooking. If you're coming from the future, note that we did this recipe together with the Chili Oil recipe:
Lastly, a huge thank you to Trevor James, a.k.a. the Food Ranger. Because we live in Shenzhen, we didn't exactly have any Chengdu street food B-Roll handy. He was nice enough to give us permission to use some of his clips, so check out the whole video of his Chengdu street food tour: (the Dan Dan Noodles are at 12:28) In his videos they go to some of the tastiest restaurants/stalls in China, so give his channel a look if you like food/travel shows.
ABOUT US
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Learn how to cook real deal, authentic Chinese food! We post recipes every Tuesday (unless we happen to be travelling) :)
We're Steph and Chris - a food-obsessed couple that lives in Shenzhen, China. Steph is from Guangzhou and loves cooking food from throughout China - you'll usually be watching her behind the wok. Chris is a long-term expat from America that's been living in China and loving it for the last nine years - you'll be listening to his explanations and recipe details, and doing some cooking at times as well.
This channel is all about learning how to cook the same taste that you'd get in China. Our goal for each video is to give you a recipe that would at least get you close to what's made by some of our favorite restaurants here. Because of that, our recipes are no-holds-barred Chinese when it comes to style and ingredients - but feel free to ask for tips about adaptations and sourcing too!
How to Make Dan Dan Noodles
This recipe is excerpted from my upcoming book, a follow up to my 2015 book The Food Lab. You can find more info and stay up-to-date on its release at kenjilopezalt.com
Dan dan noodles are a classic Sichuan dish of noodles tossed in a spicy and numbing chili sauce with ground pork. It's incredibly simple to make, even if you don't have access to fresh Chinese noodles (just cook dried pasta in water with about 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda per quart and it'll give the pasta the flavor and bouncy texture of Chinese wheat noodles!). Some of the ingredients can be a little tough to find in western supermarkets, but all of them last a long time in the fridge (like, months or years), so just grab some on a trip to the Asian market, or order them online.
Pickled mustard root:
Roasted chili oil (or use homemade recipe below):
Chinkiang vinegar:
Recipes:
Note: For best results, use fresh Chinese lo mein-style noodles. If they are unavailable, you can use fresh or dried pasta such as spaghetti or even tagliatelle. For a bouncier texture and flavor that emulates Chinese noodles, add 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda per quart of water when cooking the pasta.
Serves 4 to 6 as an appetizer or as part of a larger meal
For the Pork:
2 tablespoons (30ml) vegetable oil
6 ounces (120g) ground or finely chopped pork
1 teaspoon ground Sichuan peppercorns
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2-inch knob ginger, minced
2 ounces (about ¼ cup) minced preserved mustard root or stem (ya cai or zha cai, see note)
For the Sauce:
1 tablespoon (15ml) soy sauce
2 tablespoons (30ml) Chinkiang vinegar
1 to 2 tablespoons (15 to 30ml) store-bought or homemade roasted chili oil
To Serve:
1 pound fresh Chinese noodles (see note)
4 to 5 thinly sliced scallions
1. For the Pork: Rub a thin film of oil into the bottom of a wok using a paper towel. Heat the wok over high heat until smoking. Add the remaining oil, the pork, and the Sichuan peppercorns. Cook, stirring and tossing and using a spatula to break up the pork until it is no longer pink, about 1 minute. Continue cooking until the pork starts to brown slightly, about 1 minute longer. Add the garlic and ginger and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the preserved mustard root and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Transfer mixture to a bowl and set aside.
2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Pour soy sauce, vinegar, and chili oil in the bottom of a large serving bowl.
3. When the water is boiling, add the noodles and cook according to the package directions until barely cooked through, just a couple minutes. Use a ladle to transfer about ¾ cup of boiling water from the noodle pot to the serving bowl.
4. Drain the noodles and transfer them to the bowl. Spoon the pork mixture on top and garnish with scallions. Serve immediately, tossing the noodles in the sauce at the table before serving.
MIXED ROASTED CHILI OIL
2 ounces mixed dried chilies, such as arbol, Sichuan, pasilla, California, and ancho
1 ½ cups neutral oil such as canola, vegetable, or safflower
2 (1/4-inch) slices fresh ginger
1 tablespoon Sichuan peppercorns (optional)
2 tablespoons sesame seeds (optional)
1. Place the chilies on a microwave-safe plate and microwave on high power at 15 second intervals and hot, pliant, and toasty-smelling. Depending on the power of your microwave this can take between 45 seconds and up to a few minutes. Do not let the chilies smoke or burn. Alternatively, toast the chilies on a rimmed baking sheet in a 375°F (200°C) oven until toasty-smelling, about 3 minutes.
2. Using a pair of kitchen shears, trim the stems, ribs, and seeds from the chilies and discard.
3. Transfer the chilies to a blender or food processor and add 1 cup of oil. Pulse until the chilies are finely chopped (you can leave them chunkier for more texture, or chop them very fine for more intense flavor and heat).
4. Transfer oil/chili mixture to a small saucepan. Add remaining oil, ginger, Sichuan peppercorns (if using), and sesame seeds (if using). Set over medium heat and cook, stirring the pot frequently, until the mixture is gently sizzling. Remove from heat and let cool completely. Transfer to a mason jar. Tightly sealed in the refrigerator or a cool, dark cabinet, the chili oil should keep for several months.
The Easiest Noodle Dish Ever (Yaki Udon)
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Homemade stir fry noodle recipes like yaki udon will be a revolutionary moment for many people who are just about to start cooking, or already cooks. It's a weeknight and a weekend meal. You're welcome.
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Full Recipe:
Ingredients Needed:
Yaki Udon Noodle Sauce:
- 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce -29g
- 2 tablespoons oyster sauce - 28g
- 1 tablespoon mirin - 14g
- 2 tablespoons shirodashi- -24g
- 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar -12g
- 2 tablesopons - 35g (we used palm sugar)
Stiry fry process:
- 1 lb udon noodles
- 1 cup sliced baby trumpet mushrooms - 99g
- 1/2 sweet onion, sliced into 3/4 in thick juliliened segments
- 1 cup rough chopped napa cabbage
- 3 green onions, cut into 1 inch segments
- 1/2 lb ground pork - 330g
- salt to taste
- white pepper to taste
- pinch of MSG
- 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 3 tablespoons (42g) duck fat
- chili oil for topping *optional*
- bonito flakes for topping
- toasted sesame seeds for topping
- thin cut green onion on a bias for topping
Sichuan Dan Dan Noodles - Marion's Kitchen
My version of Sichuan Dan Dan Noodles. Made with my homemade chilli oil recipe (link below).
Get the recipe:
How to make chilli oil:
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For more super tasty recipes:
ABOUT MARION
Marion Grasby is a food producer, television presenter and cookbook author who's had a life-long love affair with Asian food.
Marion is a little bit Thai (courtesy of her mum) and a little bit Australian (courtesy of her dad).
Marion lives in Bangkok, Thailand and travels throughout Asia to find the most unique and delicious Asian food recipes, dishes and ingredients.
Authentic Dan Dan Noodles From Scratch (四川担担面)
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Today we are making Dan Dan Noodles. It is a Sichuan classic and I think it is the most delicious and flavorful noodle dish. I will be showing you how to make it from scratch and how to make it authentic as well. So, let’s get started.
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INGREDIENTS FOR THE HOMEMADE EGG NOODLES (Enough to make 6 portions)
450g (1lb) of high gluten flour (bread flour, dumpling flour, or noodle flour)
30-60 grams (1-2oz) of high gluten flour to adjust the water and flour ratio
80-110g (3-4oz) of water
1 tsp of salt
2 whole eggs
1/2 cup of cornstarch to prevent stickiness
INGREDIENTS FOR THE GROUND PORK SAO ZI (臊子)
400g (14 oz) of ground pork (preferably 50% fat)
1.5 tsp of oil
2 cloves of garlic
black pepper to taste
2.5 tbsp of Chinese cooking wine (Amazon Link:
1.5 tsp of soy sauce (Amazon Link:
1/2 tbsp of sweet bean paste (Amazon Link:
INGREDIENTS FOR THE SICHUAN HOT CHILI OIL (油泼辣子)
2.5 cup of cooking oil (seasoned with scallion, ginger, garlic, cinnamon, star anise, bay leaves)
2 tsp of Sichuan peppercorn powder (Amazon Link:
1 cup of chili flake (Amazon Link:
1/4 cup of sesame seeds (Amazon Link:
1 tsp of salt
INGREDIENTS FOR THE SESAME PASTE (芝麻酱)
1 tbsp of pure peanut butter (Amazon Link:
1 tbsp of sesame paste (Amazon Link:
2 tbsp of sesame oil (Amazon Link:
INGREDIENTS TO ASSEMBLE 1 PORTION OF DAN DAN DAN NOODLES
1.5 tsp of sesame paste
2-4 tbsp of Sichuan chili oil
1/2 tsp of Sichuan peppercorn powder (Amazon Link:
2 tbsp of soy sauce (Amazon Link:
1 tbsp of Chinese black vinegar (Amazon Link:
1/4 of sugar
1 clove of garlic
4-5 tbsp of stock or water
1 portion of noodles
Green vegetables
1 tbsp of Ya Cai (Amazon Link:
3 tbsp of Sao Zi
Toasted and crushed peanut
Scallion