Dan Dan Noodles

Start by making the sauce. Combine all of the sauce ingredients into a saucepan and cook on low for about 25 minutes, stirring along the way. Once it comes to a simmer, keep it cooking on very low heat just so that it remains hot.

During this time cook your noodles according to package instructions for al dente, then rinse with cold water, drain and set them aside.

Next, add the oil to a large skillet and bring that up to a medium to medium high heat. Add in the garlic and ginger and stir that for a few minutes until they soften. Toss in the white parts of the green onion, as well as the kimchi and give that a stir. Next add in the ground chuck, and with a wooden spoon, begin breaking that up. Continue cooking the meat on medium high heat. You want it to caramelize and crisp up. Once you crisp up the ground chuck a bit, toss in the Chinese rice wine vinegar, and give that a good stir.

OK, now we are ready to serve. Get an individual serving bowl out and add in some noodles. Next, add a generous amount of the meat mixture, then top it with a nice ladle full of the sauce. Top that with fresh cilantro, some of the green onions and some of the chopped peanuts.

The flavor of these Dan Dan Noodles are rock solid. You get the comfort from a bowl of Asian noodles, but then you get this peppery aroma and spice from the Sichuan pepper. That’s alright though because the freshness of the cilantro and the texture of the peanuts take this one to the next level. And heck, who would have thought you could use ground beef in a Chinese recipe?

The ingredients sound like a lot, but trust me, this goes fast, is simple to make and is great any day of the week! Enjoy.