Dan Dan Noodles

I could eat noodles every day of my life. I love their chewy, carby goodness. I would never get bored, because there are just so many types: spaghetti, lo mien, spaetzle, ramen, couscous, zucchini....endless possibilities. Also, I once ate pasta for 10 days straight in Italy, so there's that.

In the kitchen, however, I'm just learning to expand my noodle repertoire. I'm a spag bol (the British/quick version of spaghetti bolognese) kinda gal, so unless I'm making a saucy entree that happens to taste good over pasta I tend to get a bit stumped.

Being that Chinatown in Flushing, Queens is one of my favorite places to eat my face off, I decided to tackle Dan Dan noodles (or at least a totally non-traditional version) at home. Savory, spicy, meaty and nutty, it's a near-perfect dish. While traditionally served with flour noodles (e.g. udon), I do like it with rice noodles or even Miracle Noodles for us low carb crowd.

Plus it took only 10 minutes to make! Making this giant human noodle very happy.

Recipe adapted from Epicurious

Dan Dan Noodles (makes 2 servings)

• 8 oz noodles (any kind you like!)
• 2 T toasted sesame oil
• 12 oz ground pork
• Salt and pepper
• 2 T chopped peeled ginger
• 3/4 cup chicken stock
• 2 T chili oil (or less if you don't like spicy)
• 2 T red wine vinegar
• 2 T soy sauce
• 4 t tahini or creamy peanut butter
• Pinch of sugar or stevia
• 2 T chopped roasted peanuts
• 1 scallion, sliced

Cook noodles per their instructions. Drain; transfer to a large bowl of ice water and let stand until cold. Drain well and divide between 2 bowls.

Heat sesame oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add pork, season with salt and pepper, and cook, breaking it up with a spoon, until partially cooked, about 2 minutes. Add ginger; cook until meat is cooked through. 

Stir in chicken stock, chili oil, red wine vinegar, soy sauce, nut butter, and sugar/stevia; simmer until sauce thickens, about 7 minutes. Pour mixture over noodles; garnish with peanuts and scallions.