Name: Dan Dan Noodles
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 25 min
Yield: 2 servings
Ingredients: 250 g thin wheat noodles (fresh or dried); 200 g ground pork; 2 tbsp Chinese sesame paste (or tahini); 2 tbsp chili oil (with sediment); 2 tbsp soy sauce; 1 tbsp black vinegar (or rice vinegar); 1 tsp Sichuan peppercorn (ground); 2 cloves garlic (minced); 1 tsp ginger (grated); 2 tbsp roasted peanuts (chopped); 2 green onions (sliced); 1 tsp sugar

Spicy, nutty, savory Sichuan noodles that you can make in 20 minutes. This is the ultimate comfort bowl.

Dan dan noodles are one of the great noodle dishes of the world and most people outside of China have never had them. That needs to change. The sauce is a powerhouse — sesame paste (or tahini), chili oil, soy sauce, Sichuan peppercorn, and vinegar. It is simultaneously spicy, nutty, sour, and deeply savory. Top it with seasoned pork and you have a bowl of noodles that is more satisfying than most things that take ten times the effort. The Sichuan peppercorn is what makes it special — it create