Tan Tan Noodles

If you’ve never had dan dan noodles, prepare yourself. They’re spicy, nutty, salty, and slightly sweet all at once, and they’ll ruin regular noodle soup for you forever.

This Sichuan classic builds its sauce fast: Sichuan preserved vegetables, garlic, and ginger hit a screaming hot wok first, then chili bean sauce, sesame paste, dark soy, rice wine, sugar, and stock simmer together for just three minutes.

Ladle it over freshly boiled noodles and the broth coats every strand with that signature ma la heat.

Fifteen minutes from wok to bowl. That’s it.

Kitchen Tips

• Rinse the preserved vegetables before chopping. They’re packed in salt and chili, and skipping this step can make the whole dish painfully salty.
• Chinese sesame paste is not the same as tahini. It’s darker, nuttier, and more intensely flavoured. Peanut butter works as a pinch-hitter if you can’t find it.
• Use fresh noodles if you can get them. They cook in 2 minutes and have a chewier, silkier texture than dried. Chinese flat wheat or egg noodles are ideal.
• Serve immediately. The noodles absorb the broth quickly and go from soupy to dry if they sit.