Better Than Takeout Dan Dan Noodles

Ingredients

For the Sauce

• 2/3 cup chicken stock
• 3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 3 tablespoons tahini
• 3.5 tablespoons mirin
• 3 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
• 1.5 teaspoons sesame oil
• 1.5 teaspoons Chinese five spice

For the Noodles & Pork

• 1 lb ground pork
• 2/3 cup chili crisp
• 3/4 lb broccolini, cut into thin coins, florets left intact
• 10 oz spaghetti noodles

For the Garnish

• Sliced scallions (greens only)
• Chopped peanuts
• Sesame seeds

First, Prep the Components

This dish comes together fast, so have everything ready.

In a medium bowl, whisk together all the sauce ingredients, from the chicken stock to the Chinese five spice. Set it aside.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for the spaghetti.

Next, Cook the Pork and Sauce

Heat a large 12-inch saute pan or wok over medium-high heat. Add the ground pork and cook, breaking it up with a spoon, until it’s finely crumbled and fully cooked through.

Add the broccolini and a pinch of salt and cook for about 3 minutes until crisp-tender.

Add the chili crisp to the pork and fry the meat in the oil for about a minute. This step blooms the spices in the chili crisp and infuses the pork and broccolini with flavor.

Pour the prepared sauce mixture over the pork and bring it to a simmer. Let it bubble for a minute or two to thicken slightly.

Finally, Cook Noodles and Serve

While the sauce simmers, cook the spaghetti in the boiling water according to package instructions.

Drain the cooked spaghetti and add it directly to the pan with the pork and sauce. Toss everything together until the sauce thickens further and sticks to every noodle.

Plate the noodles and top with sliced scallions, chopped peanuts, and sesame seeds. Serve immediately.

Better Than Takeout Dan Dan Noodles

prep time:15 minutes mins

cook time:20 minutes mins

total time:35 minutes mins

Dan Dan noodles are supposed to be nutty, spicy, and savory all at once, and this version hits all those notes in about 15 minutes. The tahini gives you that sesame paste flavor without hunting down Chinese sesame paste, and frying the ground pork in chili crisp oil is what makes it taste like the real deal.

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Ingredients

For the Sauce

• ▢ 2/3 cup chicken stock
• ▢ 3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
• ▢ 1 tablespoon sugar
• ▢ 3 tablespoons tahini
• ▢ 3.5 tablespoons mirin
• ▢ 3 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
• ▢ 1.5 teaspoons sesame oil
• ▢ 1.5 teaspoons Chinese five spice

For the Noodles & Pork

• ▢ 1 lb ground pork
• ▢ 2/3 cup chili crisp
• ▢ 3/4 lb broccolini cut into thin coins, florets left intact
• ▢ 10 oz spaghetti noodles

For the Garnish

• ▢ Sliced scallions greens only
• ▢ Chopped peanuts
• ▢ Sesame seeds

Instructions

• Whisk together chicken stock, hoisin sauce, sugar, tahini, mirin, soy sauce, sesame oil, and Chinese five spice in a bowl.
• Bring large pot of salted water to boil for spaghetti.
• Cook ground pork in large saute pan over medium-high heat until crumbled and cooked through.
• Add broccolini and pinch of salt, cook 3 minutes until crisp-tender.
• Add chili crisp to pork mixture, fry 1 minute.
• Pour sauce over pork, bring to simmer for 1-2 minutes.
• Cook spaghetti according to package directions.
• Drain spaghetti and add to pork mixture, toss until sauce thickens and coats noodles.
• Top with scallions, peanuts, and sesame seeds.

Notes

Have all ingredients prepped before starting as dish comes together quickly.