Sichuan Dandanmian ft. Yacai (Dandan Noodles, 担担面)
Adapted from Sichuan (China) Cuisine in Both Chinese and English, published in China in 2010 by the Sichuan Higher Institute of Cuisine and the Sichuan Gourmet Association.
The Mala Market
Ingredients
- 5 to 6 tablespoons homemade chili oil with flakes see note
- 4 tablespoons Chinese light soy sauce (Zhongba preferred)
- 4 tablespoons Baoning or Zhenjiang black vinegar
- 1½ tablespoons Chinese sesame paste
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground Sichuan pepper see note
- ¼ cup chicken broth
- 4 tablespoons suimiyacai preserved mustard stem
- 2 scallions, finely sliced
- 2 tablespoons lard or oil
- ⅓ pound finely ground pork
- 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
- 2 teaspoons tianmianjiang (sweet wheat paste)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 4 baby bokchoy, cut in half vertically
- 10½ ounces medium, round, Chinese alkaline wheat noodles approx. 300 grams
Instructions
- Combine chili oil with flakes, soy sauce, vinegar, sesame paste, sugar, Sichuan pepper, chicken broth, yacai and scallions and add to a serving bowl or divide among 3 to 4 individual-serving bowls.
- While bringing water to a boil in a large pot, heat a dry wok until very hot and add lard (or oil). When lard is hot, add the pork and stir-fry, breaking up into very small bits, until it loses its pinkness. Add the wine, sweet wheat paste and salt and continue to stir-fry until the pork is lightly crisp. Drain the pork and keep in reserve.
- Add bok choy to boiling water and cook 1 to 2 minutes, or until done; remove and hold. Add noodles to same pot and cook until just done. Reserve ¼ cup of the noodle water.
- Drain noodles, leaving them slightly wet, and immediately layer into the bowl(s) on top of the sauce. Top the noodles with the pork and bok choy. At table, mix the noodles in with the sauce, distributing ingredients throughout. If the noodles are too dry, mix in a bit of the reserved noodle water. Alternatively, pre-mix the noodles in the sauce, then portion between bowls and top with pork and bok choy.
Notes
Ground Sichuan pepper: Sort Sichuan peppercorns and discard any black seeds or twigs. Toast in a dry skillet or toaster oven until pods start to smell very fragrant, but do not brown them. Let peppercorns cool, then grind in a spice grinder or in a mortar & pestle to your desired coarseness. Sift out any yellow husks that don't break down. Sichuan pepper powder will retain its potent flavor and numbing punch for only a few weeks.
Chili oil: To make Kathy's family's Sichuan homestyle lajiaoyou using caiziyou roasted rapeseed oil and fragrant-hot ground chilies, see her Traditional Sichuan Chili Oil recipe. Or, for the ultra-mouthwatering 香辣 (xiānglà)/fragrant-hot version, see the Aromatic Sichuan Chili Oil recipe!