Dan Dan noodles, a Sichuan street food classic. This is a Taiwanese-style take. Numbingly spicy, nutty, and umami, this bowl is everything you wished in a bowl of vegan noodles, and more.

Dan dan noodles (担担麵) is an extremely popular Sichuan street food noodle dish. This is a Taiwanese take. It is everything you want in a comforting bowl of noodles — numbingly spicy, nutty, and umami. It is also everything you thought vegan food couldn't taste like.

To replace the traditional crispy pork topping, I chose to use a combination of textured vegetable protein (tvp) and mushrooms. When dehydrated enough, textured vegetable protein becomes crispy and golden-brown just like the traditional pork topping.

Dan Dan noodles are not complete without a flavorful chili oil — it's super easy to make at home, and a homemade chili oil will top any store-bought chili oil by ten-fold.

Vegan Dan Dan Noodles

Course: Dinner Cuisine: Chinese Difficulty: Easy

Dan Dan noodles, a Sichuan street food classic. This is a Taiwanese-style take. Numbingly spicy, nutty, and umami, this bowl is everything you wished in a bowl of vegan noodles, and more.

Ingredients

  • 360 grams Chinese wheat noodles or ramen noodles

  • Minced "Pork"

  • 1/2 cup Textured Vegetable Protein (TVP)

  • 3 white or shiitake mushrooms, finely minced

  • 1 teaspoon ginger, finely minced

  • 1 clove garlic, finely minced

  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce

  • 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine (or mirin)

  • 2 teaspoons doubanjiang, or spicy broad bean paste

  • 1/4 teaspoon ground five spice

  • vegetable oil, for frying

  • Spicy Sauce

  • 4 cloves garlic, grated

  • 4 tablespoons chili oil (homemade recipe HERE)

  • 4 tablespoons soy sauce

  • 2 teaspoons ground Sichuan peppercorns

  • 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar

  • 1.5 tablespoons creamy peanut butter (or sesame paste)

  • 2 teaspoons black vinegar

Directions

  • Prepare the TVP. Soak the TVP in warm water for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, drain the water and squeeze out excess liquid from the re-hydrated TVP. Combine with minced mushrooms.
  • Cook the Minced "Pork" Topping. In a non-stick pan, heat up vegetable oil on medium-high heat and cook the TVP and mushrooms until most moisture evaporates. Add the garlic, ginger, soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, doubanjiang, and five spice. Cook together, occasionally stirring until golden-brown and crispy — this could take up to 10 minutes. Once crumbly and crispy, remove from the heat and set aside.
  • Make the Spicy Sauce. Simply add all ingredients to a bowl and whisk to thoroughly combine. Note for a simplified version of the spicy sauce (as I've showed in recipe video): Heat up 4 tablespoons of neutral oil and pour it over 4 cloves of minced garlic, 2 tablespoons of red chili flakes, 1 tablespoon of sesame seeds, and 1-2 teaspoons of ground Sichuan pepper. Then finish with soy sauce, dark brown sugar, black vinegar, and peanut butter. Stir to combine.
  • Prepare Toppings. For my Bok choy, I simply blanched them in lightly-salted boiling water for around 45 seconds. Prepare any additional toppings as desired. Other great toppings are crushed peanuts, thinly chopped scallions (not pictured), etc.
  • Assemble the Bowl. Cook the noodles of choice according to package directions. Strain the noodles and reserve the cooking water. For each bowl, first add about 180 grams of noodles. Top the noodles with about 1/4 cup of its cooking water (still warm), followed by 4-5 tablespoons of spicy sauce, a few tablespoons of minced "pork," some Bok choy, crushed roasted peanuts, and any additional toppings. Lightly toss to emulsify. Enjoy immediately.

Notes

  • Noodles: traditionally, dan dan noodles are eaten with Chinese wheat noodles. However, I found that thick ramen noodles work great as well.
  • Sichuan Pepper. Sichuan pepper is what gives Dan Dan Noodles that signature numbing/mala flavor. If you've never tried Sichuan pepper before, try adding half the amount to begin with, then taste and adjust to your liking.