These six-step Dan Dan Noodles are better than takeaway, and faster too! Crispy pork and golden hokkien noodles in a honey sesame soy sauce.
Dan Dan noodles are a perfect weeknight dinner when you want to make something quick and easy. Just mix up your sauce ingredients, then fry up your pork, ginger, greens and noodles. Top with chopped peanuts and spring onions and you’ve got a seriously delicious dinner on your hands.
This is also a great recipe for using up leftover green veggies like sweet peas, broccoli, baby spinach, zucchini, asparagus… use whatever you have to hand.
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Dan Dan Noodles Ingredients
- Pak choi
- Spring onion
- Ginger
- Roasted unsalted peanuts
- Tahini
- Dark soy sauce
- Soy sauce
- Sesame oil
- Honey
- Rice vinegar
- Pork mince
- Five spice powder
- White pepper
- Chinese cooking wine
- Ready to eat Hokkien noodles
- Chilli oil (opt.)
See recipe card for quantities.
How to make Dan Dan Noodles
1. Start by slicing the base from the pak choi, separate leaves and rinsing out any dirt. Slice pak choi leaves to make them easier for little kids to eat. Finely slice spring onion. Peel and finely grate ginger. Roughly chop peanuts. Set aside.
- 1 bunch of pak choi
- ⅓ bunch spring onions
- 3 cm ginger
- 40g roasted unsalted peanuts
2. To make the Dan Dan sauce, mix together tahini, dark soy sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil, honey and rice vinegar. It’s easiest to do this in a jar so you can shake vigorously to mix, otherwise just whisk up in a bowl.
- 2 tablespoon tahini
- 2 tablespoon dark soy sauce
- 2 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 2 tablespoon rice vinegar
3. Heat oil in a large deep frying pan on high. Once hot, add pork and leave to brown for a minute before turning. Continue to cook for 4-5 minutes until browned all over.
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 500g pork mince
4. Add grated ginger, five spice powder, white pepper (optional - you can skip this as it is quite a strong flavour) and Chinese cooking wine and mix through.
- 3cm ginger
- 1 teaspoon five spice powder
- ¼ teaspoon white pepper
- 1 tablespoon Chinese cooking wine
5. Add pak choi and most of the spring onions (reserve a little for garnish) and cook for a minute or two, then add pre-cooked noodles. If your child likes really mild flavours you can serve them up a portion before you add any sauce. Otherwise, add the dan dan sauce now and toss until everything is mixed through and the noodles are warm.
- 1 bunch of pak choi
- Most of the chopped spring onions
- 400g ready to eat Hokkien noodles
6. To serve kids, serve noodles, pork and chopped pak choi.
For adults, serve bowlfuls of noodles topped with chilli oil (opt.), remaining spring onion and peanuts.
- 2 tablespoon chilli oil (opt.)
- Remaining chopped spring onions
- 40g roasted unsalted peanuts
Substitutions
- Vegetarian - Remove pork and add fried egg, tofu or add more veggies.
- Gluten Free - Use rice noodles or other gluten free noodles in place of Hokkien noodles. Use Tamari instead of Soy sauce.
- Dairy Free - No dairy in the recipe.
Kid-Friendly Variations
- Slice pak choi leaves - to make them easier for little kids to eat.
- White pepper - option to skip this as it is quite a strong flavour.
- Noodles - option to serve plain
- Chilli oil and peanuts - skip these
- To serve - serve components separately
Equipment
You will need a jar (opt. for mixing the sauce), a large deep frying pan, a stovetop.
Top tip
The cooking component of Dan Dan noodles happens quickly, so it helps if you have all your spices measured out and ready to go before you start cooking the pork.
Recipe
Dan Dan Noodles
Equipment
- Jar (opt. for mixing the sauce)
- Large deep frying pan
- Stovetop
Ingredients
- 1 bunch pak choi
- ⅓ bunch spring onions
- 3 cm ginger
- 40 g roasted unsalted peanuts
- 2 tablespoon tahini
- 2 tablespoon dark soy sauce
- 2 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 2 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 500 g pork mince
- 1 teaspoon five spice powder
- ¼ teaspoon white pepper
- 1 tablespoon Chinese cooking wine
- 400 g ready to eat Hokkien noodles
- 2 tablespoon chilli oil opt.
Instructions
- Start by slicing the base from the pak choi, separate leaves and rinsing out any dirt. Slice pak choi leaves to make them easier for little kids to eat. Finely slice spring onion. Peel and finely grate ginger. Roughly chop peanuts. Set aside.1 bunch pak choi, ⅓ bunch spring onions, 3 cm ginger, 40 g roasted unsalted peanuts
- To make the Dan Dan sauce, mix together tahini, dark soy sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil, honey and rice vinegar. It’s easiest to do this in a jar so you can shake vigorously to mix, otherwise just whisk up in a bowl.2 tablespoon tahini, 2 tablespoon dark soy sauce, 2 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 tablespoon sesame oil, 1 tablespoon honey, 2 tablespoon rice vinegar
- Heat oil in a large deep frying pan on high. Once hot, add pork and leave to brown for a minute before turning. Continue to cook for 4-5 minutes until browned all over.1 teaspoon sesame oil, 500 g pork mince
- Add grated ginger, five spice powder, white pepper (optional - you can skip this as it is quite a strong flavour) and Chinese cooking wine and mix through.3 cm ginger, 1 teaspoon five spice powder, ¼ teaspoon white pepper, 1 tablespoon Chinese cooking wine
- Add pak choi and most of the spring onions (reserve a little for garnish) and cook for a minute or two, then add pre-cooked noodles. If your child likes really mild flavours you can serve them up a portion before you add any sauce. Otherwise, add the dan dan sauce now and toss until everything is mixed through and the noodles are warm.1 bunch pak choi, 400 g ready to eat Hokkien noodles
- To serve kids, serve noodles, pork and chopped pak choi.For adults, serve bowlfuls of noodles topped with chilli oil (opt.), remaining spring onion and peanuts.2 tablespoon chilli oil, 40 g roasted unsalted peanuts
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