Dan Dan Noodles

Inspired by Han Dynasty - Philadelphia, PA

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I hardly knew a thing about Schezwan cuisine until watching an episode where Anthony Bourdain visits Han Dynasty in Philadelphia. They promised authentic Schezwan flavor and after seeing there was a location in Manhattan, I went with a friend who had spent time in China who confirmed this claim. I fell in love with their Dan Dan Noodles so much that when I lived off the L subway line in Williamsburg, I would often stop and pick some up to go on my way home from my job in midtown. Today Han Dynasty isn’t on my way home and while I’ll still go, I’m extremely excited to have put together a recipe that is both incredible and easy to make at home whenever I want. It’s one of the top requested dishes I’ve had from friends. Make this yourself and impress everyone.

This recipe is inspired by the Dan Dan Noodles served at Han Dynasty. Han Dynasty has locations in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and New York City.

INGREDIENTS

DAN DAN SAUCE (makes 4 servings):

  • 3 TBS sesame paste (tahini)

  • ⅓ cup soy sauce

  • ¼ cup hot chili oil (Schezwan oil if you can find it)

  • 3 TBS sugar

  • ½ TBS ground Schezwan peppercorns

PORK:

  • ¾ lb ground pork

  • 2 TBS canola oil

  • 3 garlic cloves, minced

  • ¾ TBS brown sugar

  • 1 TBS Hoisin sauce

  • 1 TBS rice vinegar

  • 1 tsp Chinese five-spice

  • ¼ tsp white pepper

ADDITIONAL NEEDS:

  • 10 oz wheat flour noodles (such as Udon)

  • Green onions, thinly sliced (for topping)

  • Cucumber, julienned (for topping)

  • Bean sprouts (for topping)

GO FOR IT

DAN DAN SAUCE:

  1. In a bowl, whisk together sesame paste, soy sauce, hot chili oil, sugar, and ground Schezwan peppercorns, then set aside

PORK:

  1. In a bowl, whisk together brown sugar, Hoisin sauce, rice vinegar, five-spice, and white pepper, then set aside

  2. Heat oil in large skillet over high heat, then add ground pork and brown for 2 minutes while breaking it apart

  3. Add minced garlic to pork and cook additional minute

  4. Add in your spice mixture and mix into the pork while continuing to break up your ground pork into small bits

  5. Cook additional 2 minutes, then remove from heat and set aside

FINISHING STEPS:

  1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook your noodles to the package specifications

  2. As noodles cook, take your Dan Dan Sauce and heat over medium-low heat in a wok or large skillet (you can use the same one you cooked the pork in)

  3. Sauce will thicken quickly as it begins to bubble (about 2 to 3 minutes)

  4. When sauce begins to bubble, turn heat down to low and add in a majority of the ground pork (reserving some to top your bowls with) as noodles finish cooking

  5. When noodles finish cooking, drain and add to wok or skillet with Dan Dan Sauce and ground pork and toss until well incorporated

  6. Divide noodles among serving bowls and top with a bit of ground pork, sliced green onions, julienned cucumber, and bean sprouts

  7. Serve immediately

NOTES:

I partially adapted this from a recipe in the Philadelphia Inquirer that appears to be from Han Dynasty owner-chef, Han Chiang. It’s nice but I didn’t quite find it to be a good adaptation for the home kitchen. To tweak, I looked to Eric Silverstein over at The Peached Tortilla in Austin, Texas who also has a Dan Dan Noodle recipe which I found much more friendly for the home cooking. After working with both recipes on a number of occasions (while also making a few adaptations of my own), I’ve landed on what you see here which is near perfect if I do say so myself.

Here are some things to take into account - I made this pretty mild so if you want to kick up the heat add in 2 TBS of hot chili oil or dial back the sesame paste by 1 TBS when making your Dan Dan Sauce. You can also substitute sesame paste for peanut butter like Eric Silverstein does and achieve a very similar and satisfying bowl of Dan Dan Noodles. However, after much research I found that sesame paste is far more authentic in how these are made in both China and at Han Dynasty.

Both recipes I worked with also call for pickled mustard greens (or preserved Chinese vegetables) to be added into the noddle mix. Having had both my version and the dish this was inspired by at Han Dynasty, I’ve never seen it as such a necessity that I had to go search for some. Therefore, I’ve followed Eric Silverstein’s lead and use green onions and cucumber but I imagine this would be equally amazing with Chinese broccoli, bok choy, or a favorite green of your choice. I’ve even added on Korean pepper flakes for an extra kick.