Easy 10 Minute Spicy Garlicky Cheater’s Dan Dan Noodles

Doesn’t it always seem like December is the busiest month? There’s always so many dinners/get togethers to go to and so many errands to run. It almost seems like there isn’t any time to make dinner…unless it’s one of those crazy elaborate dinners you’re making to impress. Or maybe it’s a dinner of cookies. Anyway, this is the super easy noodle bowl you’re going to be making over and over again when you want a fast, easy, flavorful meal that takes just under ten minutes.

To be honest, this technically isn’t dan dan mian/dan dan noodles but it technically is too. See, dan dan noodles are one of those dishes, the kind where there are a thousand variations, even in Sichuan, where they’re from. They can come in soup, they can come more dry, they can have pork, they can be vegetarian, they can be whatever you want, really.

Since this is a cheaters (ie, super easy) version, we’re going to skip out on the meat and the ya cai (classic pickled vegetables) and essentially make a toss and eat noodle bowl. If you can boil noodles and mix sauce in a bowl, you can make these super satisfying spicy noodles.

What are dan dan noodles?
Dan dan noodles or dan dan mian, are a super popular spicy Sichuan street food. Noodles are tossing a spicy sauce served up with preserved pickled vegetables and minced pork. They can be dry or in soup. Sesame paste is often added for a contrast to the spice as well as a nice nutty note.

What do dan dan noodles taste like?
These dan dan noodles taste spicy, savory, and nutty with a little hint of malty vinegar. They’re full of flavor and so good.

Tips
This is cheater’s dan dan, so don’t worry too much about the ingredients. Obviously homemade chili oil is best, but here store bought is the way to go. We like this brand, which is available in lots of stores and online.

Ditto on the black vinegar and sesame paste. Chinese sesame paste is really different from tahini. Just by looking at it, you can tell that Chinese sesame paste is a lot darker and thicker. This is because it’s made from toasted un-hulled sesame seeds whereas tahini is make from untoasted hulled sesame seeds. Chinese sesame paste has a deeper toasted nutty note.

If you need to, you can sub the Chinese sesame paste with natural, unsweetened peanut butter mixed with a bit of extra toasted sesame oil. For the black vinegar, you can sub balsamic or any vinegar you have on hand. It won’t be quite the same, but this is cheater’s dan dan after all!

Happy spicy noodle bowl eating!