Name: Dan Dan Noodles
Total time: 40 min
Yield: Serves 2–4
Cuisine: China
Ingredients: a handful cashews, 2–3 scallions; 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil; 2 tablespoons tahini or almond butter; ½ teaspoon ground black pepper; 1 teaspoon salt; 1½ pounds ground pork; 3 cloves garlic; 1 jalapeño; 2-inch piece fresh ginger; 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil; 2 tablespoons crushed red pepper flakes; ½-inch piece of cinnamon stick; 1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns; ½ cup light-tasting olive or avocado oil; 2 teaspoons salt; pinch coconut sugar (omit for Whole30); ⅓ cup cornichons; ¼ cup coconut aminos; 2 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar; ½ teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder; ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper; 2 pounds zucchini

Preparation info

Serves
2–4

Difficulty
Medium
Ready in
40 min

Appears in

Well Fed Weeknights

By Melissa Joulwan

Published 2016

About

These noodles are one of the most popular street foods in Sichuan (a.k.a. Szechuan) province of southwestern China. The cuisine of this region is beloved for its bold flavors, with lots of garlic, chiles, and Sichuan pepper. The name “dan dan” refers to the pole that noodle vendors used to sell their wares. It was carried across the shoulders, a basket of noodles on one end and the spicy sauce on the other. Traditionally, the noodles swim in a face-tingling broth and are topped with minced