Sichuan Sesame Noodle Soup (Dan Dan Mian – 擔擔麵)



While in Japan, we tried countless noddle dishes.  One was unforgettable. With its creamy sesame flavor, Dan Dan Mein was always my favorite noddle dish. Now that we’re in Hawaii with more than enough ingredients available on the market, we decided to make it for ourselves. 

We adapted Ching’s recipe to our vegetarian diet and taste. As always, we used Morningstar Veggie meat products instead of real meat.

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients

  • Noodles 
    • 4 one-serving packs of pre-prepared udon noodles
  • Fried Fake Meat Topping
    • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
    • Seasoning Bowl #1:
      • 1 tablespoon ginger root, peeled and finely grated
      • 3 mild green chilies, stemmed, seeded and finely chopped
      • 2 cloves garlic, crushed, peeled and finely minced
    • 1 package Morningstar veggie sausage patties
    • Seasoning Bowl #2:
      • 1/2 cup mustard greens, finely diced
      • 1/2 Tablespoon tahini
      • 1/2 Tablespoon sesame oil
      • 1 Tablespoon soy sauce
      • 1 Tablespoon rice wine
      • 1 Tablespoon rice vinegar
      • 1 teaspoon ground Sichuan peppercorns
      • 1 teaspoon chili sauce
      • 1 T sesame seeds
      • 3 T Kewpie brand Roasted Sesame Dressing
  • Fried Snap Pea Topping
    • 20 snap peas, ends cut off
    • 3 Tablespoons vegetable oil
  • Soup
    • 8 cups of water
    • 4 cubes of Maggie’s Vegetable Bullion
  • Garnish

 

Directions:

For the Noodles:

Boil the noodles in water. Even if they are precooked, boiling for few minutes will make them soft and more enjoyable. Drain and rinse with cold water.

For the Toppings:
Toast the fake sausage patties for 12 minutes at 350°F in a toaster oven.  While the fake meat is cooking, prepare the ingredients for Seasoning Bowls #1 and #2.  After the patties are done cooking, pulse them in a food processor until they break into small pieces similar to ground beef (see the photo above for reference).  You may want to quarter each patty before putting them into the food processor so they grind into more equally-sized pieces.
Heat 2T oil in a wok. Add content of Seasoning Bowl #1. Stir fry for 30 seconds. Add the veggie ground sausage meat. Stir fry for 30 more seconds.  Add the contents of Seasoning Bowl #2. Stir fry for 1-2 minutes. Remove and set aside.
Stir-fry the snap peas in the wok with oil until brown spots appear on their sides. Remove the snap peas and set aside.
For the Soup:

Boil the water.  Add the bullion cubes and stir until they are fully dissolved.

Serve with Garnish:
To serve, divide the noodles among 4 large soup bowls. Pour the hot stock evenly over the noodles.  Add the snap peas on top of the noodles.  Sprinkle the veggie meat topping in a heap over each bowl.  Add the cilantro, Momoya chili oil, and sesame seeds on top for garnish.

Momoya chili oil is one of our favorite and must-have condiments.  It’s always on our dinner table.  It enhances the flavor of just about any Chinese dish.  It’s available in some Chinese groceries and through Amazon.  S&B makes a similar product that’s arguably just as good.

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