Sichuan · noodle
Dan Dan Noodles
担担面 · Dàndàn Miàn
Wheat noodles topped with chilli oil, sesame paste, preserved vegetables and minced pork. Dry-style mixed at the table.
Dan dan noodles take their name from the bamboo carrying-poles (dan) used by 19th-century street vendors in Chengdu, who balanced a hot-water vat on one end and a noodle-and-condiments tray on the other. The dish is dry-style — chilli oil and sesame paste at the bottom of the bowl, noodles on top, preserved Sichuan mustard greens (yacai) and minced pork on top of that. Mix vigorously before eating.
Where to try
Chengdu street stalls and noodle shops. Outside Sichuan, look for restaurants signed 川菜.
Dietary notes
Contains pork. Vegetarian versions exist.
Cities to try Dan Dan Noodles
Other southwest dishes
- Baba Flatbread粑粑
Yunnan's daily flatbread — a thick wheat or rice-flour round cooked on a griddle and eaten plain or stuffed.
- Bang Bang Chicken棒棒鸡
Cold poached chicken shredded by hand, dressed in chilli oil, sesame paste and Sichuan peppercorn.
- Boiled Fish in Chilli Oil水煮鱼
Fish slices submerged in a deep pool of chilli oil and Sichuan peppercorns. Served bubbling.
- Chongqing Hotpot重庆火锅
The original mala hotpot — a simmering cauldron of beef tallow, Pixian doubanjiang and Sichuan peppercorn for communal dipping.