Easiest Ever Dan Dan Noodles

This Dan Dan Noodles, is another one of our dinner rotation staples. Easy, spicy and comforting, it gives your favorite take out a run for its money. And, while you are at it, it saves you a decent chunk of time and money. Let’s face it, it is Sichuan street food at its best. All you need is a few key ingredients, think good chili oil. I made mine loosely following this recipe, and I will post the recipe one of these days.

I would highly recommend buying some Sichuan Peppercorns. Their spicy and gently numbing flavors will offer that unique taste in this and other Sichuan dishes.

A strange week, where I am spending a week working completely from home. And the world is creating its own histories. A new tomorrow, with Senator Harris, maybe? Philosophy aside, it always feels good to see a woman cracking and pushing that proverbial glass ceiling.  At least, it does for me.

Now, I have tried several variations of these noodles and personally end up doing this by cooking the meat and noodles separately, but using the PIP method. I also sometimes steam some greens (in lieu of pickled greens). And sometimes, I use whatever veggies that I can find on hang to round out the meal.

Anything goes, as they say. I have lightened the dish a little by using ground chicken instead of the traditional ground pork. This honestly is because I always tend to have ground chicken or ground turkey on hand. What I really would like to try this with someday is ground lamb. Someday, when I can stroll and shop with abandon again.  This said, I am happy that despite a busy week everyone is well fed in the house. The children are looking forward to our road trip in less than a week. I guess so am I.

A few tips, tricks, and suggestions.

• The mushrooms while not traditional really work well with the flavors here.
• For a vegetarian/vegan variation, you can use only mushrooms
• This recipe can very easily be done on the stove top, just needs a little bit more hands on time