Dan Dan Noodles are typically served layered (sauce at the bottom of the bowl, then noodles, meat, and vegetables), and you’re supposed to mix it yourself before eating. But I’ve found that I can cook many of the ingredients together, cutting way down on the number of steps and still resulting in a delicious bowl of noodles that isn’t noticeably different from what you’d have after you mixed up the layered version.

Guessipe

sauce

• 1/2 cup peanut oil
• 1 TBSP ground Sichuan pepper
• 2 TBSP Korean red pepper
• 1 tsp five spice powder
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 3 TBSP sesame paste
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 2 TBSP hoisin sauce
• 2 TBSP black vinegar

meat mixture

• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 TBSP ginger, minced
• 12 oz ground pork
• 1 TBSP rice wine
• 1 bunch boy choy, chopped
• 2/3 cup sui mi ya cai (preserved mustard greens)

noodles

• 2 lbs fresh wheat noodles
• 1/4 cup water

To make the Sauce – heat peanut oil, Sichuan pepper, Korean red pepper, five spice, and cinnamon over low heat for 10 minutes.

Transfer to a bowl and whisk in sesame paste, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, and black vinegar.

Over medium-high heat, stir fry a few spoonfuls of the Sauce with the garlic, ginger, ground pork, and rice wine until the pork browns.

Add in the bok choy, sui mi ya cai, and half the remaining Sauce. Cook until the bok choy is just tender. Set aside.

Over medium-high heat, cook the remainder of the Sauce with the noodles and 1/4 cup water until the liquid is absorbed.

Place noodles in a bowl and top with meat and vegetable mixture.