Dandan noodles

Dandan noodles
Dandan noodles served in a Sichuan restaurant in Shanghai with the traditional red chili-oil sauce, pork, and scallions
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese	擔擔麵
Simplified Chinese	担担面
Transcriptions Mandarin - Hanyu Pinyin dàndànmiàn
Alternative Chinese name
Traditional Chinese	擔仔麵
Transcriptions Min - Hokkien POJ tàⁿ-á-mī
Japanese name
Kanji	担々麺
Kana	タンタンメン

Dandan noodles or Dandanmian (traditional Chinese: 擔擔麵, simplified Chinese: 担担面) is a classic dish originating from Chinese Sichuan cuisine. It consists of a spicy sauce containing preserved vegetables (often including zha cai, 榨菜, lower enlarged mustard stems, or ya cai, 芽菜, upper mustard stems), chili oil, Sichuan pepper, minced pork, and scallions served over noodles.

Sesame paste and/or peanut butter is sometimes added, and sometimes served along or replaces the spicy sauce, usually in the Taiwanese and American Chinese-style of this dish. In this case, Dandanmian is considered as a variation of Ma Jiang Mian (麻醬麵), sesame sauce noodles. In American Chinese cuisine, Dandanmian is often sweeter, less spicy, and less soupy, and peanut butter is sometimes added.

Origin and name

The name refers to a type of carrying pole (dan dan) that was used by walking street vendors who sold the dish to passers-by. The pole was carried over the shoulder, with two baskets containing noodles and sauce attached at either end. The noodles cost almost nothing, and gradually local people came to call them Dandan noodles. Literally, the name translates as "peddler's noodles".

Spelling

A variety of English spellings are used. The first word may be either Dandan, Dundun, or Tantan. The last word may also be spelled Mein or Mian.

Related dishes

The same sauce is frequently served over poached chicken (called Bon Bon or Bang Bang Chicken (棒棒鸡)), and on steamed, meat-filled dumplings in another Sichuan dish called suanla chaoshou. The corresponding Japanese dish is Tantan-men, a form of ramen (formally 担担麺, as in Chinese, but often written with 々, or with 坦 instead of 担 (radical is properly 手 but may be written 土), as in 担々麺、坦坦麺、 or 坦々麺).

See also

• Chinese noodles
• Chengdu

External links

• Authentic Dan Dan Mian recipe
• Dan Dan Mein
• Chubby Hubby Blog noodle recipe
• Blog post discussing Dan Dan Mian (see comments)
• Chinese Dan Dan noodles