Dan dan mien is a classic Szechuan dish made with the unique mouth-numbing Szechuan pepper corns. It’s so flavorful. It’s delicious. It’s the most sent back dish at Button Mash, and one of the most loved ones as well. Numbing sensations ain’t for everyone.
2–4 SERVINGS
SAUCE:
¼ cup Superconcentrated Cantonese Chicken Stock
2 tablespoons light soy sauce
½ tablespoon Chinese sesame paste
1 tablespoon Chinkiang brand vinegar
3 tablespoons chili oil
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1½ teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons Szechuan/Sichuan red pepper corns, dry roasted
NOODLES:
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon minced ginger
3 tablespoons chopped scallions
2 tablespoons Szechuan/Sichuan preserved vegetables*
½ pounds ground pork
1 tablespoon Chinese cooking wine
½ teaspoon kosher salt
8 ounces fresh ramen noodles or 11 ounces dry noodles (refer to Garlic Noodle recipe, for notes, options, and thoughts on other noodles)
Cilantro, for garnish
Peanuts, coarsely chopped, for garnish
Crispy shallots, for garnish
Black pepper, freshly cracked, for garnish
Pickled Mustard Greens, for garnish
BALLS OUT
40–80 SERVINGS
SAUCE:
5 cups Superconcentrated Cantonese Chicken Stock
2½ cups light soy sauce
10 tablespoons Chinese sesame paste
1¼ cups Chinkiang brand vinegar
3¾ cups chili oil
¾ cups plus
1⅓ tablespoons sesame oil
10 tablespoons sugar
¾ cups plus 1⅓ tablespoons Szechuan/Sichuan red pepper corns, dry roasted
NOODLES:
2½ cups minced garlic
6⅔ tablespoons minced ginger
3¾ cups chopped scallions
2½ cups Szechuan/Sichuan preserved vegetables *
10 pounds ground pork
1¼ cups Chinese cooking wine
3⅓ tablespoons kosher salt
10 pounds fresh ramen noodles or 13¾ pounds dry noodles (refer to Garlic Noodle recipe, for notes, options, and thoughts on other noodles)
1. FOR THE (LOVE OF) SAUCE: Combine all sauce ingredients in a bowl. Mix well. Set aside.
2. NOODLES FOR THE WIN: Set up an ice bath in a bowl large enough to hold the noodles in.
3. Heat up a pot of 2-inches of water until you achieve a rolling boil. Drop noodles in and time. (Refer to the Garlic Noodle [Make-Out Noodles], to advise on best al dente times.)
4. Then remove noodles from pot, shake off excess and shock noodles in ice bath for 2 minutes. Remove, shake of excess, and transfer noodles to serving bowl. Set aside.
5. Heat up a pan with a little bit of oil over medium heat, and sauté garlic, ginger, scallions, and preserved vegetables together until fragrant. Then add pork and stir-fry while breaking apart until it is a tad crispy and no longer pink.
Next add Chinese wine and scrape up all the bits to deglaze the pan. Season with salt. Remove from heat, transfer to bowl of noodles. Top meat with ¼ cup of your recently mixed sauce. Garnish with scallions, peanuts, shallots, black pepper, and pickled mustard greens on the side. Mix, and enjoy the numbing flavors . . . unless your mouth is so numb that it reminds you of being in a dentist’s chair, then slow down and enjoy life a little bit more maybe.
* Preserved = pickled, and they’re pretty standard at most Asian stores. Play around with different ones to figure out the ones you like best (especially for this dish)