“A Little Less Guilt” Dan Dan Noodles

One of the best dishes I’ve had in Philadelphia is Han Dynasty’s Dan Dan Noodles. They’re the ultimate comfort/hangover cure food - spicy pork with chili oil, garlic, ginger, and sichaun peppercorns over hot pasta. I crave it at least once a month. This was another happy accident recipe. I had kale, cabbage, and zucchini in my fridge and decided to throw it all in a bowl with some noodles and make the dan dan sauce. Feel free to omit any veggies or substitute your own; I’m going out of town and wanted to use up everything I had. I call this less guilt because whenever you cook at home it’s more likely to contain fewer calories than a restaurant. Also by adding the veggies you feel like it’s better for you. You can’t really go wrong with this dish - it’s a great way to use up veggies in your fridge and it took about an hour to make (the best dishes in life aren’t usually fast ones). I already had the pork frozen so I had to let it thaw for a few hours. This was a great last minute idea dish. 

P.S. I’m trying a new writing style for this recipe. 

What To Do + Ingredients

Cabbage

Preheat oven to 400*. 

Slice a head of cabbage in 1/2″ slices and arrange on baking sheet. Drizzle olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic powder all over it. Bake for 30 minutes, flipping pieces about halfway through. 

Kale

Heat 2 Tbsp olive oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add garlic for 30 seconds until fragrant. Add 1 large bunch of kale to the pan and turn up heat to high. Add ¼ cup chicken or veggie stock. Cover pan and cook for 7-10 minutes until wilted, stirring every few minutes. 

Zucchini Noodles

Heat a Tbsp of olive oil in another large saute pan. Add a large chopped onion and saute for 5 minutes until soft. Add 2 zucchinis (spiralized) and cook for another 5 minutes or until soft. 

For Noodles

Heat up a large pot of water to boil. Add 1 lb dried white noodles and cook according to the package. Run under cold water (they became gluey without washing). 

For Dan Dan Sauce

Heat 2 tbsp peanut oil in wok or large pan.

Add 2 tbsp ginger and 2-3 garlic cubes (or like 6 cloves minced garlic) to pan and and stir-fry for 30 seconds.

Add pork and cook for 3-4 minutes or until mostly cooked through. 

Add ¾ cup chicken stock, 2 tbsp chili oil, 2 tsp hoisin, few dashes clove and cinnamon, 1 tbsp balsalmic vinegar, 1 tbsp rice vinegar, 2 tbsp soy sauce, 4 tsp tahini, 1 tsp sichaun peppercorns (grinded), pinch of sugar. Simmer until sauce thickens, about 7-10 minutes while veggies do their thing. Season with white pepper and remove from heat. 

Combine all and enjoy!