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Dan Dan Noodles Pork Mince Stir Fry

Dan Dan noodles are a delicious, quick & simple, spicy minced pork stir fry featuring peanuts, chilli oil, Szechuan pepper & Chinese greens.

Cooking this gloriously punchy noodle fakeaway recipe takes just 10 minutes and the prep takes a leisurely 15 minutes, meaning this is way quicker and cheaper than delivery!

Dan dan noodles, a spicy pork mince stir fry with peanuts and chilli with spring onions.

Pork Mince Noodle Stir Fry

Quick stir fry dishes are a constant on my menu at home, they are gloriously quick and really satisfying.

My take on dan dan noodles became a firm favourite during my days of living in rural central Europe and it remains a firm favourite still.

Showcasing minced pork, chilli oil, Szechuan (Sichuan) pepper to coat the noodles it is no wallflower in the flavour department.

Just like my Szechuan chicken and Szechuan prawns recipe, it heavily features the zing of Szechuan peppercorns. It is also the dish that most influenced my ginger pork stir fry, which uses pork tenderloin rather than ground pork.

Traditionally this dish contains a sesame paste that is similar to tahini. I use unsweetened peanut butter because I rarely order ingredients online.

I return a little of the sesame flavour with some toasted sesame oil right at the end of the cooking process.

And just like many of my takeaway recipes, this cooks in under 30 minutes. This means that it is not only cheaper than a takeaway but quicker too!

If you are feeding someone who is vegan and you love this dish you must check out my crumbled tofu noodle stir fry!

Close-up dan dan noodles, a spicy pork mince stir fry with peanuts with spring onions.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use a different type of noodles?

Absolutely! I have a version of this made with crumbled tofu that I make with udon noodles.

Traditionally it is made with wheat noodles, I tend to use some form of egg noodle.

Why do you pre-soak straight-to-wok noodles?

I always think that straight-to-wok noodles benefit from breaking up in boiling water. This is because I want them in the wok for the shortest time possible, and I also don’t want to break them up in the wok.

What do you mean by natural peanut butter?

It’s the peanut butter that many people complain about, you know the stuff where the oil separates from the solids.

Can I use regular pepper instead of Szechuan pepper?

No, they are very different products and Szechuan pepper is irreplaceable in this dan dan noodles recipe.

It is glorious stuff, I think of it as grown-up popping candy, it is vibrant and almost fizzy. Tread carefully though, using too much will result in it numbing your mouth!

What is Chinese crispy chilli oil?

It is crispy chilli in oil with some MSG, Szechuan pepper and preservatives and it has a unique smokey spicy flavour to recipes and I love the stuff.

I use the Lao Gan Ma brand, which can on occasion be difficult to find.

Lee Kum Ke makes a chiu chow chilli oil, which is different but a worthy substitute and in the UK is much more available as most of the large supermarkets stock it.

Overhead dan dan noodles, a spicy pork mince stir fry with peanuts and chilli with spring onions.

Serving Suggestions

Like so many of my Chinese fakeaway recipes I don’t serve my dan dan noodles with a side dish. I’m much more likely to rock some starters and make a spread out of the meal.

If I am behaving myself I will start off with some prawn and sesame toast or prawn crackers. I might even stretch to some crispy spring rolls.

Soup is also a nice light option, this spicy noodle stir fry follows something like my hot and sour soup would work perfectly.

If I am really gonna go for it then I would open up with some Chinese takeaway style spare ribs.

Close-up spicy pork mince and noodle stir fry with peanuts with spring onions.

Equipment Used

I only name-check brands of equipment if I think they make a material difference to a recipe. If you have any questions feel free to ask them in the comments section below the recipe.

  • Stovetop.
  • Wok, I use a large flat-bottomed carbon steel wok because I find it best on an electric hob.
  • Kettle for boiling water if needed for the noodles.
  • Mixing bowls.
  • Chopping board.
  • Kitchen knife.
  • Weighing scales and or measuring cups and spoons.
  • Stirring and serving spoons or tongs.
  • Pestle and mortar or spice grinder.
  • Sive or colander.
Spicy dan dan noodle stir fry with pork mince garnished with spring onion.
Yield: 2 Servings

Dan Dan Noodles Recipe

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes

Dan Dan noodles is a spicy noodle stir fry dish showcasing ground pork, chilli oil and Szechuan pepper, it is a perfect midweek fakeaway.

Ingredients

  • 300g (10 oz) Minced Pork
  • 400g (14 oz) Prepared Noodles
  • 175g (2-2½ Cups) Choi Sum or Bok Choi
  • 50g (⅓ Cup) Toasted Peanuts
  • 35g (3-4 in Total) Spring Onions
  • 1 Tbsp Vegetable Oil
  • 1 Tbsp Sesame Oil

For the Sauce

  • 2 Garlic Cloves
  • ½ Tbsp Szechuan Pepper
  • 2 Tbsp Chinese Crispy Chilli Oil (I use Lao Gan Ma)
  • 1 Tbsp Hoisin Sauce
  • 1 Tbsp Natural Peanut Butter
  • 2 Tbsp Dark Soy Sauce
  • 1 Tbsp Light Soy Sauce
  • ½ Tsp Chinkiang Vinegar
  • 1 Tsp Sugar
  • ¼ Tsp Chinese Five Spice
  • ⅛ Tsp MSG
  • 2 Tbsp Water

Instructions

  1. Roughly chop the greens for the choi sum and then cut the stalks into 5-6mm (¼") lengths.
  2. Peel and mash the garlic cloves into a paste.
  3. Heat a wok over a high heat and toast the Szechuan pepper for 1-2 minutes, then crush in a pestle and mortar.
  4. Mix together all of the ingredients for the sauce along with the toasted and crushed Szechuan pepper and set aside.
  5. Cut the white part of the spring onions into lengths about 5cm (2") long and then shred them lengthways as finely as you can. Drop the shredded spring onions in cold water.
  6. Prepare the noodles as per the instructions on the packet and then refresh them in cold water prior to starting to stir fry.
  7. Heat a wok over a very high heat and when it begins to shimmer add the vegetable oil followed by the pork and stir fry for 2 minutes.
  8. Throw in the choi sum stems and cook for a further 2 minutes.
  9. Push the pork to the side of the pan and add the sauce and quickly combine everything.
  10. Add the choi sum greens, peanuts, sesame oil and drained noodles and stir fry until everything is hot.
  11. Drain the spring onions on kitchen paper and serve them as a garnish to the noodles.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

2

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 1086Total Fat: 58gSaturated Fat: 12gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 41gCholesterol: 113mgSodium: 1891mgCarbohydrates: 84gFiber: 10gSugar: 9gProtein: 59g

Calorific details are provided by a third-party application and are to be used as indicative figures only.

Did you make this recipe?

If you made this recipe, I'd love to see what you did and what I can do better, share a picture with me on Instagram and tag me @krumplibrian and tell me how it went!

Helen

Friday 6th of May 2022

I made this last night to use up some leftover pork mince.My husband and I really enjoyed it. Very tasty! Thanks for sharing.

Brian Jones

Tuesday 10th of May 2022

Glad you enjoyed it Helen.

bettina Taylor

Thursday 24th of January 2019

My family likes more veggies what would you recommend. Will be giving it a go in a week or two. Thanks for opening up my cooking skills.

Brian Jones

Thursday 24th of January 2019

I have to say I have never added more vegetables to this so your question has me thinking... I would say that you want something quite robust, carrots would work a treat if cut into thin batons or out of left field you could add some green beans after the meat has been in for a minute or two.

You could also serve alongside bak choi (pak choi) which would be really nice :)

Paul Edwards

Monday 3rd of December 2018

Hello Brian, Szechuan pepper is available and in my cupboard here in Thailand. What bamboo shoots did you use please ? Remember the canned crunchy ones we had in UK back in the day ? We have fresh ones growing on our land. By the way. I made the chicken lentil curry as you recommended. Delicious.

Brian Jones

Monday 3rd of December 2018

Cheers Paul, I used canned or jarred bamboo shoots, sadly fresh bamboo shoots are rarer than hens teeth here in Europe ;) Glad you enjoyed the Dhansak :)

Valentina

Wednesday 28th of November 2018

Heard of them, but not sure I've ever had them. I'm inspired to make this now. I love Szechuan pepper, and i think "fizz" is the perfect word to describe it. Delicious all around!

Brian Jones

Thursday 29th of November 2018

Thanks Valentina... I adore Szechuan pepper but it is so difficult to define, it is much more of a feeling or experience than a flavour, but maybe I'm just odd ;)

Veena Azmanov

Monday 26th of November 2018

Yummm... Its a perfect recipe for noodle lovers and I'm definitely one of them, so are my kids !! Thanks for sharing !!

Brian Jones

Tuesday 27th of November 2018

Cheers Veena!

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