Tan Tan Noodles Recipes

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.

VEGAN TANTANMEN WITH PAN-FRIED TOFU

Steps:

• Bring a pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add noodles and cook until al dente, according to package instructions. Drain and run under cold water until the noodles are completely cold. (This stops the noodles from cooking further.) Set aside to drain.
• Heat a large skillet over medium-high. When hot, add 1 tablespoon olive oil and arrange the tofu slices in a single layer. Generously season the tofu with about 1/2 teaspoon salt and about 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Reduce heat to medium, and cook tofu for 3 to 4 minutes until golden. Flip the tofu, and cook until golden on the other side, about 2 to 3 minutes. (Depending on the size of your skillet, you may need to cook your tofu in two batches.) Remove from the pan, set aside on a plate.
• To the same pan, add 1 tablespoon olive oil and the mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper. Pan-fry until mushrooms are tender and slightly golden, about 6 minutes.
• Prepare the broth: Pour the vegetable stock into a large pot and add the kombu, if using.
• Bring to a gentle simmer and cook over medium heat, about 7 minutes. Remove kombu (keep for another use) and turn off heat. Allow to sit for 2 minutes, then gradually whisk in milk, adding a little at a time, so it doesn't curdle. Once the milk has been added, heat broth over medium until it simmers.
• In a medium bowl, combine the sesame paste, soy sauce, sesame oil, rice vinegar, sugar and chile oil. Divide mixture across four deep noodle bowls.
• Pour the hot broth over the sesame soup base, dividing it evenly among the bowls. Whisk to combine the base with the broth.
• Divide the noodles across the bowls, and top each bowl with a few slices of tofu, mushrooms, corn, scallions, sesame seeds and an extra drop of chile oil.

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.

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.