Sichuan Dan Dan Noodle Soup with Pork and Chili Oil
Chewy wheat noodles in a nutty, tangy, numbing-hot sesame broth, topped with crisp-edged savory pork, salty preserved vegetable, and bok choy. It tastes like the street-food classic but arrives as a comforting soup in about 50 minutes.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 30 min
- Total
- 50 min
- Makes
- 4 large bowls (about 2 cups broth and noodles each, plus topping)
Steps
Before you start
- Look for Sichuan preserved mustard stem (ya cai or zha cai) in a small bag or jar at Asian markets. Rinse it well because it is very salty.
- Use a chili oil that contains crunchy sediment (flakes and aromatics). Heat level varies a lot by brand, so start with the amount listed and add more at the table.
- Set out four wide soup bowls and have all the ingredients prepped before you start. The pork, broth, and noodles all finish within a few minutes of each other.
- Chinese sesame paste is toasty and darker than tahini. If you use tahini, see the substitutions.
Prep everything
- Rinse and chop the preserved vegetable, mince the ginger for the pork, smash the 3 garlic cloves for the broth, grate the 2 garlic cloves for the bowls, slice the ginger coins, slice the scallions, crush the peanuts, and halve the bok choy.
- Set four wide soup bowls on the counter.
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Ready when: Everything is chopped and within reach of the stove.
Tip: Crush the peanuts in a zip bag with a rolling pin for a quick, mess-free chop.
Toast and grind peppercorns
- Put the Sichuan peppercorns in a small dry skillet over medium-low heat.
- Shake the pan constantly for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Tip them onto a plate to cool for 1 minute, then grind to a fine powder and sift out any large husks.
- You will have about 1½ teaspoons.
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Ready when: The peppercorns smell citrusy and floral and darken slightly; they should not smoke.
Tip: Scorched peppercorns turn bitter, so pull them off the heat the moment they smell fragrant.
Start the broth
- In the 3-quart saucepan, combine the chicken stock, ginger coins, and smashed garlic.
- Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to low, cover, and keep at a bare simmer for 15 minutes while you cook the pork.
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Ready when: The broth tastes distinctly of ginger and garlic, with small bubbles barely breaking the surface.
Brown the pork
- Heat the vegetable oil in the 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers.
- Add the ground pork and press it flat.
- Cook undisturbed for 2 minutes, then break it into small crumbles with a spatula and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 to 6 minutes more.
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Ready when: The pork is no longer pink, the liquid has evaporated, and the edges are browned and crisp. It should reach 160°F (71°C).
Tip: Don't crowd or stir too early; letting the pork sit in the pan creates the browned, crunchy bits that make the topping.
Season the pork
- Add the minced ginger and preserved vegetable to the pork and stir for 1 minute.
- Pour in the Shaoxing wine, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, and 1 teaspoon sugar.
- Cook, stirring, for 1 to 2 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and stir in half of the ground Sichuan pepper (about ¾ teaspoon).
- Keep warm.
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Ready when: The pork looks glossy and dark, with no liquid pooling in the pan, and smells savory and fragrant.
Tip: Taste a crumble. It should be intensely savory since it seasons the whole bowl; the preserved vegetable is salty, so don't add extra salt.
Make the sauce base
- In a medium bowl, whisk the sesame paste with ½ cup (120 ml) of the hot broth from the saucepan, a little at a time, until smooth and creamy.
- Whisk in the light soy sauce, black vinegar, 1 teaspoon sugar, grated garlic, chili oil, and the remaining ground Sichuan pepper.
- Divide evenly among the 4 bowls (about 3 tablespoons each).
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Ready when: The sauce is smooth, pourable like heavy cream, and no lumps of sesame paste remain.
Tip: Add the hot broth slowly. Pouring it all at once makes sesame paste seize into clumps.
Boil bok choy
- Bring the 12 cups of water to a rolling boil in the large pot over high heat.
- Add the bok choy and cook for 1 minute.
- Lift it out with a spider or tongs, drain well, and set aside, keeping the water at a boil.
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Ready when: The stems are bright green and just tender when pierced with a knife.
Cook the noodles
- Add the noodles to the same boiling water, stirring to separate the strands.
- Cook fresh noodles for 3 to 4 minutes (dried noodles according to package directions, usually 5 to 7 minutes).
- Drain thoroughly in a colander, shaking off excess water.
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Ready when: The noodles are chewy with no raw, floury center when you bite one.
Tip: Drain well. Water clinging to the noodles dilutes the sauce in the bowl.
Assemble and serve
- Bring the broth back to a boil and ladle about 1 cup (250 ml) into each bowl, stirring to blend with the sauce.
- Divide the noodles among the bowls, then top with the bok choy and pork.
- Finish with scallions, crushed peanuts, and extra chili oil if you like.
- Stir everything together and eat right away.
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Ready when: The broth is steaming hot, opaque, and rust-colored, with a layer of red chili oil on top.
Tip: Serve immediately; the noodles keep absorbing broth and soften quickly.
Good to know
Tips
- Toast and grind Sichuan peppercorns fresh. Pre-ground powder loses its numbing citrus aroma within weeks.
- Adjust the heat with the chili oil, not the peppercorns: the peppercorns add tingle (ma), the oil adds heat (la).
- Whisk the sesame paste with broth slowly, which keeps the sauce smooth and prevents oil separation.
- Cook the noodles just before serving and drain well so they stay chewy and don't dilute the broth.
Make ahead
"Cook the pork topping up to 3 days ahead and refrigerate. Make the broth up to 2 days ahead. Mix the sauce base (without hot broth) up to 3 days ahead. Reheat the pork and broth, then boil the noodles and bok choy fresh right before serving."
Storage & reheating
Best eaten right away. Store the pork, broth, and noodles in separate airtight containers in the fridge for up to 3 days (the pork and broth keep well; noodles are best cooked fresh). Reheat broth on the stove until steaming and pork in a skillet or microwave until hot (160°F/71°C). Freeze the pork topping and plain broth for up to 2 months; thaw overnight in the fridge. Don't store assembled soup. Room temperature: no more than 2 hours.
Substitutions
- Chinese sesame paste → Unsweetened tahini plus a few drops of toasted sesame oil. Tahini is milder and lighter in color; add ½ teaspoon toasted sesame oil per 3 tablespoons for a deeper roasted flavor.
- Sichuan preserved mustard stem (ya cai) → Chopped Tianjin preserved vegetable, or finely chopped kimchi (squeezed dry). Kimchi adds more sourness and heat; reduce the black vinegar to 3 teaspoons.
- Chinese black vinegar (Chinkiang) → Balsamic vinegar or rice vinegar. Use the same amount; balsamic is closer in color and sweetness, while rice vinegar is sharper and lighter.
- ground pork → Ground chicken or turkey, or crumbled firm tofu with mushrooms. Poultry must also reach 165°F (74°C); add an extra teaspoon of oil because it is leaner.