Chinese · Sichuan · main
Dan Dan Noodles (Dan Dan Mian)
Dan Dan Noodles (Dan Dan Mian) reads umami 6.5, salinity 5.5 and richness 4.2 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Chinese · Sichuan main, about 9 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.
The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10
- Umami & Savory — 7.5 / 10
- Sweet & Fruity — 3.4 / 10
- Sour & Bright — 2.1 / 10
- Bitter & Earthy — 1.6 / 10
- Rich & Fat — 4.9 / 10
- Aromatic & Spice — 4.1 / 10
The measured notes (of 18)
Umami 6.5 · Salinity 5.5 · Richness 4.2 · Funk & Ferment 3.8 · Heat 3.6 · Sweetness 3.4 · Herbaceous 2.5 · Nutty 2.4 · Allium 2.0 · Sourness 1.7 · Earthy 1.4 · Citrus 1.2 · Floral 0.9 · Warm Spice 0.9 · Bitterness 0.8
What's in it (12)
- chinese noodles — 300 g
- pork — 150 g
- shaoxing wine — 15 g
- soy sauce — 5 g
- ya cai — 44 g
- peanut oil — 14 g
- soy sauce — 89 g
- hot chili oil — 82 g
- sichuan pepper — 5 g
- chinkiang black vinegar — 10 g
- spring onions — 440 g
- caster sugar — 2 g
Time & effort: about 9 min · effort: medium
Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 232.3 kcal, 6.5 g protein, 15 g fat, 20 g carbs
Dietary: Contains meat — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.
How it's cooked (5 steps)
- Heat the oil in a wok over high heat, add the pork and stir-fry 3 to 4 minutes until dry, separate and browned. Splash in the Shaoxing wine and dark soy sauce and cook another minute, until the liquid has gone.
- Add the ya cai and stir-fry 1 to 2 minutes until fragrant. Set aside. The topping keeps for days in the fridge and is better made ahead.
- Divide the light soy sauce, chilli oil, ground roasted Sichuan pepper, vinegar and sugar between four bowls, roughly 1.5 tbsp soy and 1.5 tbsp chilli oil each. There is no broth. Chengdu dan dan mian is a dry noodle: the seasonings wait in the bottom of the bowl and the eater stirs them up. There is no sesame paste in the Chengdu original either, which is a later Chongqing and overseas habit.
- Boil the noodles in plenty of unsalted water for 1 to 2 minutes, until just cooked with a little resistance left. Drain and divide between the bowls, adding 2 tbsp of the noodle water to each to loosen the seasonings.
- Spoon the pork over, scatter the spring onions, and tell everyone to stir hard from the bottom before they eat.
Dishes with a similar flavor shape
- Pho Vo Vien - Vietnamese Beef Ball Soup — Vietnamese
- Water-Boiled Beef (Shui Zhu Niu Rou) — Chinese · Sichuan
- Korean BBQ Meatballs — Korean
- Gamjatang (감자탕) — Korean
- Spicy Korean Braised Tofu (Dubu Jorim) — Korean
Keep reading: what umami, salinity, richness mean in the flavor lexicon · the world's cuisines, by flavor.
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Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.