Tan Tan Noodles Recipes

SPICY TAN TAN SOUP (TANTANMEN OR DAN DAN NOODLES)

Steps:

• Heat sesame oil in a skillet over medium heat; add doubanjiang. Cook and stir shallots, garlic, and ginger until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add ground pork; cook and stir until browned, about 3 minutes.
• Mix soy sauce, tahini, sake, miso paste, and tianmianjiang into pork mixture until evenly combined. Add chicken stock; bring to a boil. Mix rice vinegar and rayu into pork mixture; add spinach. Simmer soup over low heat for 10 minutes.
• Put noodles in a bowl of hot water to separate; drain. Mix noodles into soup and garnish with green onions and Thai chile peppers.

DAN DAN NOODLES

Steps:

• Heat the neutral oil in a large skillet or wok over high heat. Add the pork, salt and pepper. Using a wooden spoon, break up the pork into smaller pieces and cook until browned and the pork is no longer pink, 5 to 6 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger and cook until fragrant, 1 minute. Deglaze with the cooking wine, scraping any brown bits from the bottom of the skillet. Reduce the heat to medium. Add the soy sauce. Stir to combine and cook until fragrant, 20 to 30 seconds. Add the bok choy, season with salt and cook until bright green, the leaves are wilted and the stems are tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Keep warm while you cook the noodles.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the noodles and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Remove the noodles with a spider or tongs and place directly into the bowl with the Peanut Sauce. Toss to combine, adding 1 tablespoon reserved pasta water at a time, as needed, to reach desired consistency.
• To assemble, plate the noodles. Top with the pork and bok choy mixture. Garnish with a drizzle of the Chile Oil and the chopped peanuts.
• In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the chile oil, peanut butter, soy sauce, rice vinegar, honey and a couple turns of black pepper until smooth. Set aside.
• Heat the oil and Sichuan peppercorns in a small saucepan over medium-low heat until the peppercorns start to sizzle and become fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. In a small jar, combine the red chile pepper powder and salt. When the oil is hot, pour over the red chile and allow to sit and steep for a few minutes. Set aside.

TAN TAN NOODLES

Steps:

• In a medium saucepan, with heavy bottom, heat the oil over moderate heat. Add the ginger and garlic and cook for about 3 minutes, or until they begin to turn golden brown. Watch carefully so they don't overcook. Add sesame oil, chili oil and the black beans. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add the green onions and cook 2 minutes. Stir in the chili paste, tamari and stir to create a smooth sauce. Add the peanut butter and tahini, again stirring to create smoth paste. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. If you want a really thick sauce, add an additional TBSP of peanut butter and tahini.
• Add the broth slowly and reduce the heat to low. Let the sauce simmer for a min of 15 minutes, as the flavors need to blend, and the broth thicken. Taste for spiciness - add more chili paste and chili oil if you want more heat. Saute ground beef, and when it is cooked through, spoon in some of the tan tan sauce and heat until liquid has been absorbed.
• The sauce can be made 24 hours ahead of time; cover and refridgerate. Just before serving, bring back to temperature, but don't boil.
• To serve: Place cooked noodles into individual serving bowls, top with beef, green onions, cilantro and peanuts. Ladle sauce over top.